Greg Abbott throws down the gauntlet at Biden over the border war: Texas governor says state has right to defend it self from ‘lawlessness’ after White House demanded agents be allowed back on the banks of the Rio Grande
Governor Greg Abbott accused Biden of being a “lawless president” and invoked Texas’ right to defend itself against an “invasion” at its southern border.
On Wednesday afternoon, Abbott released an outraged statement claiming that “President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully implement the immigration laws of Congress.”
He added that he would use the “right of self-defense” to protect Texas from what he called an “invasion” of migrants at the southern border.
It’s the latest escalation in a worsening feud between the Texas governor and the president.
Texas has borne the brunt of immigration and has one of the nation’s busiest border crossings at Eagle Pass, where 22,000 people entered in the week before Christmas.
Abbott has thrown down the gauntlet to President Biden, calling him a “lawless president.”
In a lengthy statement shared Wednesday, Abbott claimed he was invoking Texas’ “right of self-defense.”
In Wednesday’s statement, Abbott said, “The executive branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws that protect states, including immigration laws currently on the books.”
“President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully implement the immigration laws enacted by Congress.
He further claimed that Biden “directed his agencies to ignore federal statutes mandating the detention of illegal immigrants.”
He also accused him of wasting taxpayers’ money and allowing migrants to enter the US into ‘en masse parole’.
He added: “James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution envisioned that states should not be left at the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats, such as cartels that exploit millions of illegal immigrants smuggling across the border. .
“That is why the Framers included both Article IV, § 4, which promises that the federal government ‘shall protect every (state) from invasion,’ and Article I, § 10, clause 3, which protects the sovereign interests of ‘the states in protecting their borders.’
He ended by saying the Biden administration’s failures meant he would “call on Texas’ constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.”
Texas has borne the brunt of inbound migration in the past year
Governor Abbott has repeatedly criticized Biden for his handling of immigration
He concluded, “That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes all federal statutes to the contrary.
“The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety and other Texas personnel are acting pursuant to that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”
It was not immediately clear what “self-defense” steps Abbott would take, but this week saw officials in Texas begin arresting migrants in Eagle Pass. before they had a chance to surrender to U.S. immigration agents.
The arrests were the first of their kind. Normally, migrants — even those who enter the U.S. illegally — are allowed to surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents to seek asylum.
It also follows that the Biden administration demanded this on Tuesday Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is giving federal agents access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, where state law enforcement officers have arrested migrants.
It marked a worsening standoff between the state and federal government in the town of Eagle Pass.
Two weeks ago, two migrant children and their mother drowned when one of them broke the human chain they used to cross the Rio Grande into the US.
Sancha Cerros, 33, her daughter Yorlei Rubi, 10, and son Jonathan Agustín Briones de la Sancha, 8, died near the Eagle Pass crossing in Texas.
The mother and children died amid tensions between Texas and the federal government over immigration policies at the border, prompting accusations that Gov. Greg Abbott was to blame.
Yorlei Rubi, 10, and her brother Jonathan Agustín Briones de la Sancha, 8, died last Friday evening while trying to cross the U.S. on the Rio Grande
Their mother Sancha Cerros, 33, died with them when one of the children released a human chain across the river, sweeping them away.
Shelby Park, a local recreation area along the river, is a popular crossing spot and was recently taken over by the Texas National Guard and closed off with fences, gates and barbed wire.
Border Patrol agents were denied entry to the park Friday evening after Mexican authorities told them that a group of migrants crossing the border were in distress.
A day before the migrants drowned, the Justice Department warned Supreme Court justices that officials in Texas had taken control of Shelby Park and were not allowing Border Patrol agents inside.
Cuellar, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security subcommittee, called the deaths “a tragedy.”
“This is a tragedy and the state bears responsibility,” he said, accusing Texas of being responsible for the deaths.
National Guard soldiers stand guard on the banks of the Rio Grande River in Shelby Park
A National Guardsman lets a truck into a gate at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. The Texas Military Department confirmed that the Texas National Guard has taken control of the area
By Monday, it was clear that the three migrants had already drowned and guards blocking the Border Patrol did not change the outcome.
The Department of Homeland Security has appealed to the Supreme Court to lay blame for the incident on Governor Gregg Abbott and his handling of the ongoing migrant crisis.
“In response to an emergency call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred from entering the park by Texas officials,” the report said.
“The Texas Governor’s policies are cruel, dangerous and inhumane, and Texas’ blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses serious risks.”