Gov. Abbott lays out plan to transport migrants to US Capitol
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he is taking the immigration crisis to President Biden after the administration's policies created 'chaos' at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott took a new approach to increase awareness of the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border: transporting migrants directly to the U.S. Capitol.
Gov. Abbott told "America’s Newsroom" Thursday that the Biden administration’s immigration policies have created chaos and that the president has refused to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to witness the result of his policies firsthand.
"So we’re going to take the border to him," Abbott said.
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State officials are now taking migrants who were being released into Texas communities and redirecting them to Washington.
"I think they just need longer bus rides," he told co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino.
The federal government, Abbott said, is processing migrants and letting them loose because of the increased flow of people across the border.
"What better place for them to go than the steps of the United States Capitol?" he asked.
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"They get to see the wonderful Capitol, but also get closer to the people who are making these policies that are allowing people to come across the border illegally."
The Biden administration is set to repeal Title 42, a Trump-era pandemic immigration policy, by the end of May. Title 42 currently allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants.
Migrants released by the Border Patrol with notices to appear in court, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in Somerton, Ariz., wait for COVID-19 testing at a Regional Center for Border Health warehouse before being taken by charter bus to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat, File)
Republican lawmakers, border agents and some Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin have cautioned the administration against repealing Title 42.
Abbott cited the Department of Homeland Security in saying as many as 18,000 people are expected to cross the U.S. southern border daily after Title 42 is removed.
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"The Biden administration has no idea about the chaos it has stoked," he said, noting that the daily estimation would mean more than 5 million apprehensions each year.
"This clearly is unprecedented. It’s a high volume that the United States and states like Texas are ill-equipped to be able to deal with," he warned.