Greg Abbott says Biden was “noncommittal” when he handed over a letter with five suggestions to deal with the border crisis during the El Paso trip “dog and pony” – and that it was “outrageous” that he didn’t visit migrants
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed President Joe Biden’s border visit the day after the Commander-in-Chief stopped in El Paso, Texas, on Fox News
- He said Biden was “warm” but didn’t seem to take his suggestions to heart
- Biden is now in Mexico for a “three amigos” summit with his fellow Geos
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that President Joe Biden appeared “non-binding” regarding a letter the Republican handed him during the commander-in-chief’s trip to the southern border.
Abbott dismissed the visit to the border town of El Paso, Texas, as a “dog and pony show” during an appearance on Fox News the day after the incident.
Biden met with border officials and other state and local authorities on Sunday after nearly two years of pressuring him to see the refugee crisis firsthand.
He has since relocated to Mexico with his Mexican and Canadian colleagues for a “three amigos” summit.
Upon Biden’s arrival in the Lone Star State, Abbott handed him a letter blaming his government for the ongoing crisis and outlining a series of tough measures to curb undocumented migration.
“I highlighted several points in the letter that he should focus on. I wanted to make it clear that he’s getting a sanitized view of what’s going on at the border,” Abbott told Fox.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said President Joe Biden was “warm” but “noncommittal” during his border trip on Sunday.
The governor said he “begged” Biden to speak to ranchers living along the border or to relatives of cartel murder victims, adding it was “outrageous” that Biden did not meet with migrants himself.
Abbott suggested that Biden was relatively unfazed by his letter and recommendations.
“He said he looks forward to working with us,” the Republican leader said.
“He was friendly but obviously noncommittal about everything.”
The governor added that until action is taken, Biden’s response means little.
Abbott delivered a letter to Biden upon his arrival blaming him for the border crisis
Immigrants sleep on the sidewalk near a migrant shelter in El Paso, Texas on January 9, 2023
The five border demands in Governor Abbott’s letter
Gov. Greg Abbott made five demands in the letter he delivered to President Joe Biden on Sunday:
They must comply with the many laws that require various categories of aliens to be imprisoned and put an end to the practice of unlawfully probating aliens en masse.
You must stop opposing implementation of the Remain-in-Mexico policy and Title 42 expulsions, and fully enforce those measures as ordered by the federal courts.
They must aggressively prosecute illegal entry between ports of entry and allow ICE to remove illegal immigrants in accordance with existing federal laws.
They must immediately resume construction of the border wall in the state of Texas, using the billions of dollars that Congress has earmarked for the purpose.
They must label the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
“Until they get up and start doing that, all these other things they’re doing is nothing more than a dog and pony show and isn’t going to stop anyone from crossing the border illegally,” Abbott said.
In the letter, Abbott blasted Biden’s visit – his first on the border as president – saying the city had been cleaned up for his trip.
And he called the trip “$20 billion short and two years late” in a scathing description of Biden’s failure to control illegal migration.
“Even the city you are visiting has been cleaned up of migrant camps that had overrun downtown El Paso because your administration wants to protect you from the chaos that Texans experience every day,” he wrote
Biden landed in the border town around noon on Sunday in what officials hoped would be an opportunity to underscore his commitment to fighting illegal immigration.
Republicans have used record numbers of illegal arrivals to blast the Biden administration over the past two years.
But any faint hopes that they might welcome the President’s attention to the issue were quickly dashed when Abbot was seen on the pavement handing the President a letter.
“Under your watch…America is suffering from the worst illegal immigration in our country’s history,” it said.
“Their open-border policies have emboldened the cartels that get rich off the deadly fentanyl trade and even humans.”
He called on Biden to resume construction of the border wall begun under President Donald Trump.
And he said the Biden administration must label Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
“When you finish the photo ops in a carefully staged version of El Paso, you have a job to do,” Abbott added.