Governor Abbott rips Biden in op-ed on sending migrants to New York, DC

Mayor Eric Adams and his DC counterpart Muriel Bowser should rouse the Biden administration from its « willful ignorance » about the border crisis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Thursday – as he continues to send busloads of illegal migrants to progressive cities on the East Coast.

In a new op-ed published by Fox News, the Republican governor insisted his bold plan highlights the strain President Biden’s open-border policy has on border towns — and the naivety of liberal-led towns. by the Democrats in the face of this reality.

« If the mayors of America’s most populous city and the nation’s capital are complaining about a few thousand migrants, imagine what these smaller border communities with more limited resources face on the front lines, » Abbott wrote.

« The recent interest of the mayors of New York and DC in this unrelenting crisis is a welcome departure from the willful ignorance that the Biden administration continues to demonstrate. »

The Texas lawmaker called on Democratic mayors to use their newfound experience to implore President Biden to « stop dismissing this crisis. »

“As Mayors Adams and Bowser recently recognized, the border crisis demands immediate and decisive federal action. I ask them to call on President Biden to stop dismissing this crisis and honor his duty to preserve American national security,” he wrote.

In recent weeks, Adams and Bowser have asked the federal government for help in managing the influx of migrants into their towns.

In mid-July, New York City’s mayor urged Biden to send « additional federal resources immediately » as the swarm of asylum seekers overcrowded the city’s homeless shelters.

Around the same time, Bowser made a request to the Department of Defense for 150 DC National Guard personnel each day to provide « 24/7 operation » in receiving immigrants.

She also requested the use of the DC Armory, or « another suitable federal location in the National Capital Region » for a temporary processing facility.

The Pentagon then denied his request.

Abbott’s op-ed came just days after the Biden administration decided to phase out the Trump-era « Stay in Mexico » immigration policy that forced tens of thousands of people to return from Mexico. across the southern border to await their immigration process.

While the administration insists the order has not deterred migration, Republicans have warned that lifting the policy could lead to an increase in border crossings at a time when crossings are already at historic highs .

Meanwhile, Governor Abbott launched « Operation Lone Star » to protect border communities in early 2022, as his first busload of migrants arrived in the Big Apple and DC.

Abbott revealed that the mission had led to more than 290,000 migrant arrests and the seizure of nearly 326 million lethal doses of fentanyl by the end of July.

“Despite the indifference of the federal government, a dangerous situation continues to escalate. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45, but President Biden is allowing it to continue crossing the border from Mexico,” Abbott wrote.

“Too often we have witnessed the horrific consequences of human smuggling and trafficking, but Mexican cartels and other transnational criminals are emboldened to continue their murderous enterprises,” he continued.

Abbott also blasted the administration’s apparent lack of assistance on Thursday, criticizing Biden’s inability to travel to the border during his tenure so far.

« President Biden has never visited the border to understand the magnitude of the crisis he has created. His Vice President ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris has also taken no meaningful action to deal with the seriousness of the situation, with the exception of a visit to the El Paso area over a year ago,” Abbott wrote.

“US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently testified that the southern border is ‘safe and secure.’ With thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border every day, this statement is either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading.