Thirteen Republican governors attended a Sunday media briefing in Eagle Pass, Texas during which Governor Greg Abbott urged President Joe Biden to take action on the issue of illegal migrant entries along the southern U.S. border, CBS News reported.
Abbott intensified his clash with the Biden administration over runaway immigration issues, demanding immediate action to stem the flow of illegal migrants across the southern border, according to the outlet.
🚨JUST IN: Texas Governor Greg Abbott was joined by 13 other governors for the border security press conference at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas#Texas #SaveAmerica #AmericaFirst #texasbordercrisis pic.twitter.com/nHKmSRAUbX
— AJ Huber 🇺🇸 (@Huberton) February 5, 2024
Abbott’s critique of Biden’s handling of border security was unreserved. He accused the administration of neglecting its duties, emphasizing the onus now falls squarely on the federal government to uphold the nation’s laws.
“Joe Biden, it is your turn now — your obligation, your duty, to follow the laws Congress passed and secure the border, just as Texas has,” Abbott stated.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot asserted Texas’ right to protect its borders at a press conference Sunday with more than a dozen GOP governors. https://t.co/a1cSZMmUrw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 4, 2024
The confrontation has been brewing for some time, with Texas taking unilateral steps to curb illegal crossings. State authorities controversially restricted U.S. Border Patrol access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass in January. Abbott also attributes a significant drop in local illegal entries to Texas’ extendive deployment of razor wire barriers, asserting their effectiveness in securing the border area, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Biden And Abbott Have Set The Stage For One Of The Biggest State-Versus-Feds Immigration Fights In More Than A Decade)
Abbott didn’t hesitate to invoke constitutional rights in defense of his actions while also accusing Biden of facilitating unauthorized entry into the country. This sentiment was echoed by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who criticized the federal government’s inaction, which compels states to take matters into their own hands, CBS News noted.
“Because of his failures, Governor Abbott is having to step up, governors from across the country are having to step up and do the job of the federal government because they simply won’t,” Sanders stated, according to CBS News.
The Texas governor was joined by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Jill Pillen, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Utah Governor Spencer Cox, according to a release by Abbott’s office.