In what he called an “unprecedented action” necessitated by “President Biden’s refusal to do his job,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order authorizing the state National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest immigrants who cross the border illegally between ports of entry and return them to Mexico.
“While President Biden refuses to do his job and enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress, the state of Texas is once again stepping up and taking unprecedented action to protect Americans and secure our southern border,” Abbott said in a press release Thursday, announcing, zero tolerance policy.
Only the federal government is legally empowered to enforce immigration law. As a legal justification, Abbott cited Article IV, § 4 of the US Constitution.
“‘[T]The United States … will protect everyone [State in this Union] against the invasion’ and thereby forced the State of Texas to build a border wall, deploy state military forces, and enter into agreements as described in Article I, § 10 of the US Constitution to protect the State of Texas and repel illegal immigration which finances the cartels.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ordering his state’s National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A member of the National Guard patrols the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on May 23, 2022. Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Post about whether he was bowing to pressure from former Trump staffer Ken Cuccinelli to declare an “invasion” at the border. Although Abbott did not issue a declaration of invasion, he used the exact language that Cuccinelli coached several Texas counties to declare a border “invasion” on Tuesday.
Cuccinelli wanted Abbott to declare an invasion and institute a Title 42-style program where immigrants were “cancelled at the border” and automatically turned away.
Abbott blamed President Biden for failing to stop thousands of undocumented immigrants from crossing the US border. SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images
The move comes at a time when Abbott’s poll results have been falling since the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, and his support for a Texas abortion ban, according to a new poll of Texas voters. Abbott’s Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, is gaining support and already trails the governor by six points.
Add Comment