Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said that his government will provide charter buses or flights to transport illegal immigrants released from federal custody into its territory to Washington D.C.
The Republican made the remarks during a press briefing, saying that his state on the southern border has been “overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration.”
“We are sending [the illegal immigrants] to the United States capital where the Biden administration will be able to more immediately address the needs of the people that they are allowing to come across our border,” Abbott told reporters.
The measure comes in response to the lifting of Title 42 by the Biden administration last week.
The public health provision is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order that was invoked in March 2020 under President Donald Trump to minimize the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that only essential travel occurred at U.S. borders.
It directed that illegal immigrants could be quickly expelled back into Mexico as a pandemic precaution, rather than be processed under Title 8 immigration law, which is a much more protracted process inside the United States.
As the Biden administration prepares to drop the measure on May 23, Border Patrol agents and local officials along the border are bracing for an even greater influx of illegal immigrants.
In a release (below) that followed shortly after the governor’s press conference, Abbott’s office said only those who volunteer will be transported, and must show documentation that they have been processed by the Department of Homeland Security.
“The Biden Administration’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous cartels and deadly drugs to pour into the United States, and this crisis will only be made worse by ending Title 42 expulsions,” Abbott said.
“With the end of Title 42 expulsions looming next month, Texas will immediately begin taking unprecedented action to do what no state has done in American history to secure our border,” the governor added.
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Governor Abbott Takes Aggressive Action To Secure The Border As President Biden Ends Title 42 Expulsions
April 6, 2022 ~ Governor Greg Abbott today announced the first in a series of aggressive actions by the State of Texas to secure the border in the wake of President Biden’s decision to end Title 42 expulsions. The Governor made the announcement at a press conference in Weslaco, where he was joined by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McCraw, Adjutant General of Texas Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd.
“The Biden Administration’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous cartels and deadly drugs to pour into the United States, and this crisis will only be made worse by ending Title 42 expulsions,” said Governor Abbott. “With the end of Title 42 expulsions looming next month, Texas will immediately begin taking unprecedented action to do what no state has done in American history to secure our border. The new strategies announced today and next week will further strengthen our already robust response to the Biden border disaster, and we will use any and all lawful powers to curtail the flow of drugs, human traffickers, illegal immigrants, weapons, and other contraband into Texas.”
During his remarks, Governor Abbott noted that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is projecting as many as 18,000 migrant apprehensions per day upon the end of Title 42 expulsions. This prediction would indicate over half a million illegal border crossings per month.
Because DHS has no plan for addressing the anticipated surge of illegal immigrants when Title 42 expulsions end, and because DHS is expected to release large groups of migrants into Texas communities, Governor Abbott has directed TDEM to charter buses and flights to transport migrants who have been processed and released from federal custody to Washington, D.C. To board a bus or flight, a migrant must volunteer to be transported and show documentation from DHS. Mayors and county judges can notify TDEM of any DHS-facilitated drop-off of migrants in their communities so that the agency can provide appropriate transportation.
Governor Abbott has also directed DPS to conduct enhanced safety inspections of vehicles as they cross international ports of entry into Texas. This directive, which is effective immediately, anticipates a significant rise in cartel-facilitated smuggling via unsafe vehicles upon the end of Title 42 expulsions.
Governor Abbott announced additional strategies being deployed immediately to secure the border. DPS and the Texas Military Department (TMD) are preparing additional boat blockades, deploying razor-wire at low-water crossings and high-traffic areas, and installing container blockades to stem the flow of illegal crossings. Additionally, TMD will begin the first phase of mass-migration rehearsals this week, and all DPS troopers and specially trained Texas National Guard soldiers will be given riot gear in case of violence among caravans and migrants.
The State of Texas will continue to evaluate the threat posed by the end of Title 42 expulsions and announce additional action in the coming weeks to respond to the expected surge in illegal immigration.
