Gov. Abbott sends letter to President Biden, says Texas is ramping up border security
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to President Biden on Wednesday alerting the state would be escalating border security efforts.
The letter follows another one Abbott sent earlier this week that called on the federal government to pay Texas back for money spent at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the letter, Abbott claims that there is a record-breaking level of illegal immigration at the border caused by the Biden administration.
"Prior to President Biden taking office, America had some of the lowest illegal-immigration totals seen in decades; however, over the past year-and-a-half, that volume has skyrocketed to more than 2 million immigrants trying to enter the country illegally," Abbott said in the letter.
Abbott's letter outlines America’s current immigration laws he believes the President must 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.
“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,” the letter reads in part. “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.”
Earlier Wednesday, Governor Abbott also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas Military Department (TMD) to escalate their unprecedented efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico border. In a letter to DPS Director Steve McCraw and TMD Adjutant General Thomas Suelzer, the Governor outlined the need for the Operation Lone Star partners to defend Texas against what the governor calls an invasion of America's southern border.