Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to Joe Biden Wednesday asking the president to enforce immigration laws after years of inaction by his administration.
Abbott highlighted the record level of illegal immigration at the country's southern border, which he believes has been caused by the President's sustained dereliction. The Texas governor recalls in his letter that, before Biden took office, the United States had one of the lowest illegal immigration totals in decades. However, he notes, that number has skyrocketed to over two million immigrants who attempted to enter the country illegally last year.
The governor further points out that the federal government's inability to enforce U.S. immigration laws forced Texas to protect its own territory against the invasion of Mexican drug cartels and mass illegal immigration.
“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. 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.
BidenJoseph 11.16.22 by VozMedia on Scribd
Biden must enforce existing immigration laws
In the letter, Abbott highlights immigration laws that the president should enforce to ease tension at the border:
- 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.
Greg Abbott sent this letter to Biden hours after invoking the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions to authorize unprecedented action in the Lone Star State to secure the border amid historic record illegal immigration.
