Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding that Democrat President Joe Biden stops “dismissing” the migrant crisis at the border.
The governor warned that Biden must “honor his duty of preserving America’s national security.”
In an op-ed for Fox News, Abbott issued a call to action for Democrat mayors complaining about Texas bussing migrants to their cities.
He said the mayors must pressure Biden to “honor his duty” by taking action to tackle the border crisis.
“Last week, I formally invited the mayors of New York City and Washington, D.C. to Texas’ southern border to see firsthand the situation that Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser recently described as a humanitarian crisis,” Abbott said.
“She has emphasized that the flow of migrants into her city is a ‘federal issue that demands a federal response.’
“Finally, something reasonable from a D.C. official.
“President Joe Biden’s irresponsible open border policies have invited record-high numbers of illegal immigrants and transnational criminal activity directly into communities, not only in Texas but across the nation.
“As governor of a southern border state, I have had to deploy unprecedented amounts of state resources–including more than $3 billion over the past 18 months–to the Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Public Safety, and local partners to help address the president’s national security failure and ensure the safety of Texans.
“In response to the Biden administration’s unconscionable disregard for the southern border, I launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 in partnership with these state agencies to protect Texans in communities.
“Thousands of deployed troopers and guardsmen are utilizing air, ground, and tactical border assets to combat Mexican drug cartels and other criminals who smuggle drugs and people into the U.S.
“With Texas bearing the brunt of the president’s catastrophic failure, in April I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to begin busing migrants to Washington, D.C. to provide relief to overrun border communities and bring the reality of the crisis to the federal government’s doorstep.
“It was not long before Mayor Bowser began decrying the mission after receiving only a fraction of what Texas law enforcement encounter each day along the border.
“Mayor Bowser went so far as to request indefinite federal assistance from the National Guard to help D.C. cope with the humanitarian crisis,” Abbott notes.
“The mayors are not alone in their concern over the flow of migrants into their cities, with their Democratic counterparts in south Texas truly overwhelmed by the crisis.”
Abbott noted that Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz has said his city is being overrun with migrants that U.S. Border Patrol dumps there.
“We’re taking the overflow [from McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley],” Laredo told Abbott.
“We can’t handle it here.”
Abbott said that McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos has also said he needs as much federal support as possible “because we cannot be doing a federal job.”
“This is not our responsibility,” Villalobos said.
“We’re just trying to keep our people safe.”
Villalobos called the Biden administration’s response to his pleas “a callous disregard, to have Border Patrol just drop off immigrants in downtown McAllen.”
“If the mayors of America’s most populous city and the nation’s capital are complaining about a few thousand migrants, imagine what these small border communities with more limited resources face on the frontlines,” Abbott said.
“As Mayors Adams and Bowser recently acknowledged, the border crisis demands immediate and decisive federal action.
“I ask that they call on President Biden to stop dismissing this crisis and to honor his duty of preserving America’s national security.”
Abbott issued the calls while President Joe Biden enjoys another vacation alongside his infamous son Hunter.
President Joe Biden has arrived in South Carolina with members of his family for what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation. https://t.co/Q4GWimmQeJ
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 10, 2022
Hunter Biden joins dad Joe for vacation as FBI called out for double standard after Trump Mar-a-Lago raid https://t.co/3UhlxbNgJB
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 11, 2022
