Gov. Greg Abbott again slammed the Biden administration over its handling of immigration policy and enforcement Monday during a visit to Eagle Pass, when officials briefed the governor on state-run border security operations.
Abbott’s trip coincided with what would have been the expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era policy adopted under President Donald Trump that allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the U.S. border, but a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from ending the program days earlier.
More:Judge rules Title 42, allowing COVID asylum restrictions, can continue at border
Abbott cautiously celebrated the judge’s ruling in remarks to the media but stressed the need for more long-term solutions to address the surge of migrants border officials are facing.
“One thing that we know for a fact, and that is there are maybe as many as 100,000 migrants who are across the border waiting to cross into the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “And we as a state, we being the local communities that are represented here in this room today, they’re all dealing with the enormous challenge of having a tidal wave of people come into their communities.”
Title 42 allows border authorities to turn away migrants at the border, including those seeking asylum, to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Despite its origins as a health policy under the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Title 42 has become the center of a fierce debate over immigration policy.
More:Texas sues Biden administration over plans to end Trump-era Title 42 immigration policy
Republican-led states, including Texas, sued to stop Title 42 from ending Monday as scheduled, arguing that state and federal authorities are not prepared to handle the massive influx of migrants anticipated upon the policy’s expiration.
Operation Lone Star
Recent numbers released by the federal government showed that in April authorities came across more than 230,000 migrants attempting to enter the U.S. without authorization, with more than half of those encounters happening in Texas.
Abbott has made border security one of his top priorities and has heavily campaigned on the issue, touting his initiative to address the issue, known as Operation Lone Star.
Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, deploying thousands of Texas National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the border to tackle a sharp increase in illegal immigration, drug smuggling and human trafficking.
However, the operation has faced significant criticism since reports emerged that troops were experiencing delays in pay, insufficient equipment and plummeting morale, and that several had committed suicide.
More:234K migrants encountered by feds at the border in April as surge continues
Texas sues Biden administration over new border policies
Earlier Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he had filed a second lawsuit in hopes of blocking the Biden administration from changing the way asylum requests are handled at the border with Mexico.
The new procedure, set to take effect May 31, is intended to reduce yearslong immigration backlogs by allowing asylum officers to rule on immigrant requests for permission to legally enter the United States to escape persecution, or fear of future danger, in their home countries.
The goal, federal officials said, is to make the decision within months to grant asylum to those who deserve it or promptly remove those who do not, but Paxton argued that the new policy would encourage illegal immigration by making it easier for people to enter the country under false pretenses.
The new rule also violates federal law, which requires asylum decisions to be made by immigration judges, not asylum officers, Paxton said.
“The Biden administration has made it clear that they do not want to abide by the Constitution or the rules and regulations set by Congress, especially regarding the Texas border,” he said in a statement. “This entire rule is just a way for this administration to accomplish their real goal: a mass influx of illegal aliens into the United States.”
Monday’s lawsuit joins a similar challenge Paxton filed last month in Amarillo federal court, putting the matter before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was nominated by Trump.
Staff writer Chuck Lindell contributed to this report.
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