Gov Abbott demands Biden Administration take action to help secure southern border
SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is sending a letter to the White House demanding that the Biden Administration enforce United States immigration laws.
The letter comes after Governor Abbott declared escalating illegal immigration an invasion of the State of Texas.
“You must reinstate the policies that you eliminated, or craft and implement new policies, in order to fulfill your constitutional duty to enforce federal immigration laws and protect the States against invasion,” reads the letter. “Two years of inaction on your part now leave Texas with no choice but to escalate our efforts to secure our State. Your open-border policies, which have catalyzed an unprecedented crisis of illegal immigration, are the sole cause of Texas having to invoke our constitutional authority to defend ourselves.”
In the letter sent Wednesday, the Governor highlights America’s current immigration laws he wants the President to enforce to satisfy the federal government’s constitutional obligation to safeguard its citizens, including:
- Aggressively prosecuting illegal entry and illegal reentry.
- Complying with laws mandating that various categories of aliens “shall” be detained.
- Stopping parole for aliens en masse in violation of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
- Fully reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols, such that aliens seeking admission remain in Mexico while proceedings unfold in the United States.
- Immediately resuming construction of the border wall in Texas, using the billions of dollars Congress has appropriated for that purpose.
Governor Abbott also sent a letter on Wednesday to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas Military Department (TMD) to escalate what he says will be unprecedented efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico border. Another letter was sent on Monday to Texas county judges explaining his Executive Order that invokes the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
Governor Abbott won re-election as the Governor of Texas on November 8.