Abbott responded to a letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland that told him that his order was not enforceable and he must rescind it.
“The Biden Administration has created a constitutional crisis between the federal government and the State of Texas,” he said.
“This stems from the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws and allow illegal immigrants with COVID-19 to enter our country,” Abbott said.
He said that his state is being “overrun and overwhelmed” by the record number of migrants and that “cartels and smugglers profit off the chaos.”
“Not only that, but this crisis also extends beyond the border as deadly drugs like fentanyl infiltrates our communities,” the governor said.
“This already dangerous situation continues to deteriorate as the Biden Administration knowingly imports COVID-19 into Texas from across the border—willfully exposing Texans and Americans alike,” he said.
“President Biden has a duty and a responsibility to protect and uphold our nation’s sovereignty, yet he has long-since abdicated his authority to do so,” he said.
“Abbott claimed that he had to take action with his executive order as the ‘Biden Administration sits on the sidelines,” the governor said.
“I have the authority, and duty, under the constitutions of the United States and of Texas to protect Texans and our nation,” he said.
“I also have the authority under long-established emergency response laws to control the movement of people to better contain the spread of a disaster, such as those known to have COVID-19,” he said.
Before that, he responded directly to Garland with a letter of his own, where he said that Garland’s letter “conflicts with my authority, and duty, to protect citizens of Texas and the United States.”
“Your actions, combined with the actions and omissions of the Biden Administration, directly conflict with my authority as Governor,” the governor said.
“The Biden Administration is failing and refusing to enforce immigration laws by allowing migrants to unlawfully enter into the United States,” he said.
In his letter, he said that it is true that the Constitution gives the authority to the federal government to create immigration policies.
“However, the Constitution does not allow the Biden Administration to fabricate its own immigration laws,” he said.
“Worse, the Biden Administration is knowingly admitting hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, many of whom the federal government knows full well have COVID-19,” the governor said.
“To be clear, the Biden Administration is knowingly importing COVID-19 into Texas from across the border and knowingly exposing Texans and Americans to that disease,” he said.
“Alternatively, the Biden Administration could simply enforce the existing federal immigration laws and stop admitting migrants who are not authorized by Congress to be admitted. That would substantially reduce the importation of COVID-19 while also fulfilling the federal government’s role to faithfully execute the laws of the United States
“My office remains committed to working with you and the Department of Justice to ensure that we achieve the twin goals of applying the laws of the United States and of this state, while also preventing the knowing importation of COVID-19 into our communities,” he said.
