Illegal Border Crossings Pit Texas Against DOJ

Texas is trying to stop illegal migrant movement inside the state. The Department of Justice is suing.

Summary

Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order to Texas public safety officials giving them authority to “stop and reroute” vehicles transporting illegal migrants in an attempt to prevent COVID-19 infected non-citizens from spreading the virus.

• In response to the order, the U.S. Department of Justice is suing Texas, prompting a back and forth with Attorney General Merrick Garland saying the order risks “the health and safety of noncitizens in federal government custody” while Abbott replied that the Biden administration’s policies created the situation. 
• The argument comes as the Biden administration restarted “fast-track” deportations for Central American family units apprehended at the border and President Biden himself voiced support for immigration legislation to be included in the hypothetical “budget reconciliation” bill Congressional Democrats are expected to use to get around the Senate’s filibuster rules.
• As the border crisis continues, Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar teamed up with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to implore the White House to name a new border czar, specifically citing former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. 
• Other states have voiced concern about the spread of COVID-19 among illegal migrants as they are shipped around the country, with Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds arguing the release of covid-19 infected migrants into the United States is “part of the problem.”

• Newsweek covered the DOJ lawsuit and Governor Abbott’s previous order, saying the order “repeatedly blasts Biden’s actions and praises former President Donald Trump” and make the claim that “there does not appear to be any evidence showing” illegal immigrants are “causing the rise in [COVID-19] cases.” 
• CNN highlighted the frustration of “immigrant advocacy organizations” with the Biden administration over what they consider the White House’s slow pace on immigration reform. 
• Huffington Post defended the Department of Justice and attempted to obscure the facts in their reporting on the DOJ lawsuit against Texas by saying “migrants…often use privately arranged transportation like buses or trains to get to where they’ll be staying…as well as to get to ICE appointments or court appearances, as they must by law.” (Author’s Note – Just 13% of those released with no court date set have kept in touch with ICE officials as they were supposed to.)

• Newsmax interviewed NY Rep Nicole Malliotakis who criticized the Biden administration for not disclosing more information on where in the United States those apprehended crossing the border illegally are going. 
• The New York Post relied on statistics Graham and Cuellar used in asking President Biden to appoint a new border czar, referencing a June 2021 “571% increase over the 33,049 encounters recorded by CBP in June 2020.” 
• The Daily Signal argued that the continued increase in the number of encounters with migrants runs counter to the Biden administration’s insistence that the situation is status quo and part of “seasonal migration.”

Author’s Take

The number of COVID-19 cases from illegal immigrants is not the main cause of the recent spike in cases. That doesn’t make what the Biden administration is doing right. There are hypocritical, nonsensical, counterproductive travel restrictions for European nations that finally got their act together on vaccinations and testing for COVID-19. Meanwhile, people from Central American nations, infected with COVID-19, can literally walk into the United States illegally and suffer no consequences. This simply isn’t right in terms of national security, public safety, or rational policy.

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© Dallas Gerber, 2021