Texas Gov. Abbott torches Biden's belated attention to border crisis: 'They're not fooling anybody'
Texas governor says it's 'about time' for the president to witness the 'chaos' he caused
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday "it's about time" that President Biden gets to see the border "chaos" that his administration has created.
The governor joined "America's Newsroom" to respond to Biden blaming Republicans for "not being serious enough" on the issue ahead of his first presidential visit to the area.
Abbott slammed Biden for his proposed plan to stem illegal immigration, arguing it would actually encourage more illegal border crossings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think what his proposal is going to do is to entice even more people to come here illegally," Abbott warned. "Biden talked about the Republicans having no plan. Republicans do have a plan to secure the border. Biden has no plan to secure the border. Americans are angry and frustrated. It's time for Biden to lay out details about how he will stop illegal immigrants coming across our border."
MAYORKAS SAYS MASSIVE MIGRANT NUMBERS ‘STRAINING OUR SYSTEM,' CALLS FOR CONGRESS TO ACT
President Biden took heat for a gaffe-prone address on the problems at the southern border. (Screenshot/Twitter)
Abbott contrasted the border policies under Biden versus former President Donald Trump, noting, "Under the Trump administration, we had the lowest border crossings in decades. It took only a year under the Biden administration to have the most illegal border crossings ever. And what Biden is laying out right now is not going to reduce that."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abbott went on to say Biden is "violating existing federal law" with his agenda.
MAYORKAS DEFENDS BIDEN NOT VISITING BORDER: 'THE PRESIDENT KNOWS THE BORDER VERY WELL'
"His catch-and-release program is not enforcing laws that require them to detain people who've come across the border illegally," he said. "And he's just letting them loose. And that is promoting and enticing more people to come to our country illegally."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Biden's upcoming border trip, the governor said he hopes the president sees firsthand the National Guard presence in El Paso and what the state of Texas had to do to address the migrant influx.
Abbott also said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "lying to Americans" when he says the border is not open.
"They're not fooling anybody," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That border is open because of the Biden administration. We've had about as many people cross the border illegally in the past year alone as we have residents of Houston, Texas."
"There is a reason why he's trying to step up now. That's because most Americans disagree with Joe Biden's open border policies, and they lay the fault directly at Joe Biden's feet," added Abbott.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over a newly implemented rule that he says places a burden on American taxpayers as a result of illegal immigration.
Paxton filed the lawsuit Wednesday, alleging the Biden administration is ignoring a federal law that bars the admission of "illegal aliens from residing in the country if they are likely to rely on taxpayer-funded programs."
"Aliens often provide documentation of financial support from family as proof that they won’t become a burden on taxpayers. But the Biden rule prohibits a robust and meaningful investigation into the veracity of this documentation. Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit alleges that the December 2022 rule was adopted in violation of federal law and is arbitrary and capricious," the press release states.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.