Greg Abbott says Biden administration 'flip-flopped' on closing overwhelmed Texas-Mexico border crossings

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reversed course on shutting down six ports of entry with Mexico on Thursday, saying the Biden administration "flip-flopped" on the strategy and has abandoned border security. 

"Six hours after U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested help from Texas to close ports of entry and secure the border, the Biden Administration has now flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead makes it easier for people to cross illegally and for cartels to exploit the border," Abbott’s office said in a statement. "The Biden Administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan."

Abbott had said earlier on Thursday that he was acting on a federal government request and instructed the Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to shut down six points of entry on the southern border to "stop these caravans from overrunning our state."

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"The border crisis is so dire that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is requesting our help as their agents are overwhelmed by the chaos. Unlike President Biden, the State of Texas remains committed to securing our border and protecting Americans" Abbott said in his original statement.

Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez also said during a press conference on Thursday,  "Before I came here today, my last instructions are we’re going to shut down all the POEs in Del Rio. That is the plan as of now."

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"The migrants are coming to the POEs. So we’re going to link up with our partners, and we’re going to shut down those POEs, we’re going to make it difficult for anybody to come across," Olivarez added.

Later that day, Abbott announced the reversal, and said he directed Texas DPS and Texas National Guard to instead "maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings."

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"The Department of Homeland Security is not seeking assistance from the State of Texas to shut down ports of entry. It would be a violation of federal law for the Texas National Guard to unilaterally do so," a CBP spokesperson told Fox News. 

The news comes as the crisis on the border continues, with more than 200,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in August.