Eagle Pass – On Sunday, governors from across the country stood at the border and vowed to support Texas and its border security efforts.
The endorsement comes a day after lawmakers in Washington unveiled details of a new immigration bill, with motorcades of people crossing the border also rallying in support.
Shelby Park is empty, where thousands of people came and went a month ago. Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that the reason was because of the barriers Texas has put in place, and other state leaders vowed to continue supporting Texas' expansion.
Mr. Abbott touted his policy successes in the presence of the Texas National Guard and with the support of 13 Republican governors. take over border security from the federal government And he once again pledged to extend his efforts as long and as far as necessary.
“If Arizona and California did what we're doing here, they would eliminate immigrants overnight,” Abbott said.
Over the past three days, an average of only three people have crossed there a day.
But as border lines proliferate in the West, governors from Montana to New Hampshire joined Mr. Abbott in insisting that the issue is not unique to Texas.
“Every state in our country is now a border state,” said George's Governor Brian Kemp. “When you think about the amount of fentanyl and human trafficking, it's coming to every state in the county and they have to deal with it.”
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Mr. Abbott was untrue when he said that taking over the federal job could lead to a more serious conflict with the federal government.
But on a weekend when people gathered from across the country to rally for border security, he said law and order must be left to law enforcement.
“I don't want anyone to act as a vigilante,” Abbott said. “We believe in public safety…all we want is to enforce the laws of the United States.”
The governor was asked about that. a new bill is introduced in the Senate. Details were not yet available Sunday afternoon, but he reiterated that he believes the president does not need new legislation to take stronger action now.
If passed, the bipartisan bill would represent the first dramatic change to federal immigration law in decades.
The bill would give the president new emergency powers to restrict border crossings if encounters with migrants exceed a certain daily threshold. The legal standards for asylum applications will also be raised, and the processing time for applications will be shortened to six months. At this point it could take years.
It also includes expanded immigration work permits and increased funding for Border Patrol agents.
These border security proposals are just one part of a larger national security package that also includes additional funding for Ukraine and Israel. Mr. Biden has indicated he intends to sign it. But first, the bill faces a steep road to passage through Congress. Former President Trump is reportedly asking his local Republican allies to vote down the bill this week.
