AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Promises to build a wall. Descriptions of American homes "invaded" by immigrants and a trail of "carnage." Plans to arrest border crossers and haul them to jail.

It's not Donald Trump in 2016. It's Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 2021.

The ambitious Republican is first among a group of GOP governors who have picked up where the former president left off when it comes to hard-line immigration measures.

In recent weeks, Abbott has rolled out get-tough plans and rhetoric not seen before even in Texas, where Republicans have spent a decade making border security the centerpiece of thei...