TX Gov. Greg Abbott blasts National Guardsman accused of migrant smuggling

In a shocking situation out of Texas, a National Guardsman now stands accused of migrant smuggling at the southern border, and the governor of the Lone Star State is not holding back when it comes to expressing his outrage over the scandal.

Following the Sunday arrest of Savion Johnson on charges of human smuggling, evading arrest, and unlawful carrying of a weapon, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott bluntly declared him a “traitor,” as the Daily Caller reports.

Brazen border moves

As the New York Post explains, the dramatic scene leading to Johnson's arrest was caught on video over the weekend and illustrates just how brazen the guardsman's conduct truly was.

Sheriff Brad Coe of Kinney County indicated that when approached at a Border Patrol checkpoint, Johnson turned around and took evasive action when agents attempted to stop his vehicle.

Officers made use of spike strips to bring the suspect's vehicle to a halt, and that is when the migrant attempted to flee before ultimately surrendering to authorities.

The footage depicts Johnson, 26, being pulled out of his government-issued vehicle after a police chase sparked by his efforts to smuggle an illegal migrant across the border.

Officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Kinney County law enforcement were responsible for apprehending Johnson and taking him into custody.

Dramatic scenario unfolds

According to the Post, the police pursuit reached speeds exceeding 100 mph, and as such, Johnson now counts evading arrest among the charges he will face.

Johnson was reportedly part of a National Guard deployment to the border area at Eagle Pass an initiative under the umbrella of Abbott's Operation Lone Star.

Coe further noted that Johnson was poised to receive somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000 for taking the migrant across the border, adding, “We don't know what's going on in their lives to make them do this.”

Abbott speaks out

The governor's outrage at what occurred was palpable during an interview with Fox News' Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer in which he declared, “I consider this person to be a traitor, a criminal fighting back against what we're trying to do in the state of Texas.”

Abbott did not stop there, adding, “To have a member of the National Guard be involved in assisting illegal immigration is reprehensible. Know this: I just recently signed a law that increased the penalties for smuggling illegal immigrants to a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars,” something of which Johnson should have taken note before he attempted to undermine the security of our nation's borders.