The border crisis has recently turned into a showdown between the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas). Abbott believes in the old adage, "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."
Because the federal government refuses to do anything to secure the border, Abbott is stepping in and getting the state involved. This weekend, a group of Republican governors from across the country traveled to Texas to show their solidarity with Abbott.
Govs. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.), Brian Kemp (R-Ga.), Brad Little (R-Idaho), Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.), Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa), Jeff Landry (R-La.), Tate Reeves (R-Miss.), Mike Parson (R-Mo.), Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), Jim Pillen (R-Neb.), Chris Sununu (R-N.H.), Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), and Spencer Cox (R-Utah) joined Abbott at the border crossing in Eagle Pass, Texas, for a press conference. This event was more than just a photo op; these leaders all pledged to support Texas in its efforts to achieve border security.
"The arrival of GOP governors to Eagle Pass rounds out a weekend that has kept the small border city of roughly 30,000 residents in an unwitting spotlight," reports the Associated Press. "Hundreds protesting Biden’s immigration policies held a 'Take Back Our Border' rally on the outskirts of the city on Saturday where vendors sold Donald Trump-inspired MAGA hats and Trump flags."
Abbott's efforts are working, too. Border crossings at Eagle Pass have dropped dramatically, although illegal immigrants are just moving elsewhere to cross, which is why we need a solution that takes care of the whole border.
Related: Say Goodbye to America
This is taking place as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to bring a bipartisan border bill up for a vote this week. But Republicans in both houses are slamming the bill because there are plenty of problems with it.
Any border "shutdown" authority that ALLOWS even one illegal crossing is a non-starter. Thousands each day is outrageous. The number must be ZERO.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 29, 2024
The border deal is even worse than we thought.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 5, 2024
No one who cares about our border security should support it. It is a betrayal of the American people.
My HotAir colleague Jazz Shaw explains how awful this border bill is:
This isn’t a border security bill. It’s a border amnesty bill. The only arguments seemed to be over how many thousands of illegal migrants we would be letting into the country on a daily basis. And, of course, it includes another huge tranche of money for Ukraine with no provisions for all of the cash to be audited. Yes, there is also money for Israel, but the House already passed a standalone bill that would address that issue.
It's no secret that this bill has a tough slog on Capitol Hill because Democrats think it goes too far while Republicans don't think it goes far enough. Protecting our country and its people shouldn't be a partisan issue, but that's where we are in Biden's America.
No matter what Washington does, Abbott is determined to protect his state, and the governors who visited the border with him this weekend have his back. That's because they know that this border crisis doesn't just affect states along the border.
“Every state is a border state now, and that includes Georgia,” Kemp told Fox News recently. “That’s why we’re standing strong with Gov. Abbott to stop the insanity at the southern border because the president and the White House won’t.”
Joe Biden’s failure at the southern border affects every state in the country.
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) February 5, 2024
I’m proud to stand with other Republican governors to do the job Biden has failed to do. pic.twitter.com/MNNf1NG0ps
LIVE NOW: Gov. Cox addresses what he saw on the border in Texas earlier this afternoon. https://t.co/JZxMZ2pmG2
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) February 5, 2024
Governors are working together to do what the federal government won’t — secure the border & stop the flow of illegal crossings, human trafficking & drug trafficking to protect Americans nationwide. pic.twitter.com/ldvXsDLCpS
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) February 4, 2024
Abbott knows what Texas needs to do, and this coterie of governors who have his back — including some like Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) who have offered support but didn't travel to Eagle Pass this weekend — have done the entire nation a service by bringing more attention to the border crisis. Here's hoping that the rest of the country will pay attention and hold Joe Biden accountable for what his administration has done to our border.
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