Governor Greg Abbott today issued a statement responding to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s letter regarding Executive Order GA-37, which restricts the transportation of unlawful migrants in Texas due to COVID-19.

“It is clear that the Biden Administration fundamentally misunderstands what is truly happening at the Texas-Mexico border. The current crisis at our southern border, including the overcrowding of immigration facilities and the devastating spread of COVID-19 that the influx of non-citizens is causing, is entirely the creation of the Biden Administration and its failed immigration policies. By choosing not to enforce immigration laws, removing sound policies like the Remain in Mexico program, and failing to make the most robust use of Title 42 authorities, this Administration has directly caused the unprecedented crisis Texas is facing. And it is increasingly a matter of grave public-health concern as unlawful migrants enter from countries with lower vaccination rates than the United States.

“It would be of some solace if the federal government was conducting appropriate COVID-19 testing and other mitigation strategies, but to the contrary, we hear too many reports of the federal government recklessly failing to do so and instead of admitting into the United States — and Texas — migrants from over 150 countries, many of whom are testing positive for COVID-19.

“In short, the Biden Administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis by refusing to follow the law. And it’s not just Texans; these irresponsible policies and actions by the Biden Administration are endangering the lives of many Americans as well as the unlawful immigrants themselves. I will take every available step consistent with the law to fulfill my duty to protect the health and safety of all Texans.”

Source: gov.texas.gov

Governor Greg Abbott today joined a coalition of governors filing an amicus brief in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a pending U.S. Supreme Court challenge to a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. At issue in the case is whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional. Having signed into law numerous bills that protect unborn babies in Texas, Governor Abbott has a strong interest in seeing that federal judge leave these policy questions to the states.

“The judicial constitutionalization of abortion represents an unwarranted intrusion into the sovereign sphere of the States,” reads the brief. “Returning to the States the plenary authority to regulate abortion without federal interference would restore the proper (i.e., constitutional) relationship between the States and the Federal Government. It also would produce positive results, including letting the democratic process work as intended, deescalating tensions on this divisive topic, and allowing the States to serve as laboratories of democracy for establishing and implementing suitable abortion regulations based on the latest scientific knowledge.”

“The most precious freedom is life itself,” said Governor Abbott. “Our Creator endowed us with the right to life, but millions of children lose that right every year because of abortion. In Texas, we work to spare every child from the ravages of abortion, which is why I am proud to join my fellow governors in protecting the unborn.”

Source: gov.texas.gov