Biden's reckless disregard for immigration and our border have captured the attention of New York's & DC's mayors – Maybe they can get him to act
By Gov. Greg Abbott
AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Insider Report) — 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. 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 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.
President 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, the Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as local partners to help address the president’s national security failure and ensure the safety of Texans.
READ MORE: Gov. Greg Abbott's Campaign Hits Back After NYC Mayor Threatens to Bus New Yorkers to Texas
- Mayor Adams has fumed at Texas' moves to send busloads of migrants to the Big Apple
As of late July, the mission has led to more than 290,000 migrant apprehensions, and the seizure of nearly 326 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill almost every American.
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.
- READ MORE: Americans React to Latest Illegal Immigrant Bus from TX to NY: 'Love it!'
- Mayor Adams and Gov. Abbott have been engaged in a war of words of the illegal immigrant busing
Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz (right,) 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]. We can’t handle it here." McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos has said he needs as much federal support as possible:
"We cannot be doing a federal job. This is not our responsibility. We’re just trying to keep our people safe."
He’s called the Biden administration’s response to his pleas "a callous disregard, to have Border Patrol just drop off immigrants in downtown McAllen."
He’s 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.
The New York City and D.C. mayors’ recent interest in this relentless crisis is a welcome departure from willful ignorance the Biden administration continues to demonstrate.
- READ MORE: Border Crisis Hits Home in D.C., so Mayor there Finally Cares
- D.C.'s Mayor finally cares about Border Crisis as it hits home in Nation's Capital
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently testified that the southern border is "safe and secure."
As thousands of illegal immigrants cross the border each day, that statement is either shockingly uninformed or intentionally deceptive.
As thousands of illegal immigrants cross the border each day, that statement is either shockingly uninformed or intentionally deceptive.
Regardless of the federal government’s indifference, a dangerous situation continues to intensify. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, but President Biden allows it to continue pouring across the border from Mexico.
Too frequently, we’ve witnessed the horrifying consequences of human smuggling and trafficking, yet Mexican cartels and other transnational criminals are emboldened to carry on with their deadly enterprises.
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.
Governor Greg Abbott is serving in his 2nd Term as the 48th Governor of Texas. Prior to his election in 2014, Abbott was the 50th and longest-serving Attorney General of Texas, serving from 2002 to 2015.,
