Attorney General Merrick Garland threatened Thursday to take legal actions against Texas after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order restricting non-governments from transporting illegal aliens.
Garland sent a letter to Abbott urging the governor to rescind executive order GA 37, and said the order violated federal law. It also said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would take legal action against Texas if the order remained in place.
“I urge you to immediately rescind the Order. If you do not do so, I’m providing notice that the United States intends to pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government,” the letter said. (RELATED: Gird Your Loins: The Biden Admin Reportedly Warns Border Patrol To Prepare For Massive Amounts Of Migrant Families)
“In short, the Order is contrary to federal law and cannot be enforced,” he said, referring to the federal government’s broad powers to enforce immigration laws. “To the extend the Order interferes with immigration enforcement, the Order is unconstitutional.”
New: AG Garland has sent a letter to Texas Gov. @GregAbbott_TX threatening to sue over a newly-signed executive order that aims to restrict the transportation of recently-arrived migrants in the state. Garland calls the order “dangerous and unlawful.” pic.twitter.com/jL5HmWHyqH
— Alex Mallin (@alex_mallin) July 29, 2021
Abbott responded Thursday in a statement criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of the border crisis. “It is clear that the Biden Administration fundamentally misunderstands what is truly happening at the Texas-Mexico border. The current crisis at our southern border is entirely the creation of the Biden Administration and its failed immigration policies.”
“In short, the Biden Administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis by refusing to follow the law. I will take every available step consistent with the law to fulfill my duty to protect the health and safety of all Texans,” he added.
Abbott signed the executive order Wednesday prohibiting any non-governmental entity from providing ground transportation “to a group of migrants who have been detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for crossing the border illegally or who would have been subject to expulsion under the Title 42 order.”
The order also directs the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to “stop any vehicle upon suspicion of transporting migrants and to reroute such a vehicle back to its point of origin.”
Title 42 allows border officials to expedite the removal of certain illegal aliens seeking asylum in the US based on public health emergency. The policy was put in place during the Trump administration and reports suggest the Biden administration will keep it in effect for now.