Kaylee Greenlee
A majority of Texas House Republicans asked President Joe Biden to declare an emergency at the southern border, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday.
Fourteen of Texas’ 23 Republican representatives signed on to the letter penned by Rep. Lance Gooden asking Biden to approve Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for a federal emergency declaration in response to the border crisis, according to the letter. The Republicans cited a massive influx of around 16,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, who established a temporary camp under an international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, over the weekend.
“The crisis at the border has reached a tipping point. The president can no longer deny an emergency exists, and Texas cannot be expected to continue shouldering the cost of securing our southern border,” Gooden told the DCNF. “President Biden must grant the governor’s request for a federal emergency declaration.”
Texas National Guard Soldiers & Texas Department of Public Safety personnel guard an area on the Rio Grande River to STOP illegal border crossings into Texas.
We will continue to surge state resources to secure the border & address the chaos created by the Biden Administration. pic.twitter.com/dh416SpX4z
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 22, 2021
Texas law enforcement personnel and other state resources have been redirected from other communities efforts and sent to the southern border, according to the letter.
“A considerable portion of Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard and law enforcement resources are deployed at our southern border even though immigration and border security are federal responsibilities,” the letter added.
Abbott requested emergency federal assistance after the state spent more than $3 billion in state funding for resources at the southern border, according to the letter. Abbott said the Biden administration’s immigration policies led to thousands of migrants arriving in Del Rio, Texas, and overwhelming local law enforcement officials, according to a statement.
“This year alone, the State of Texas has obligated over $3 billion to address the ongoing surge of migrants and secure the southern border with little to no assistance from the federal government,” the letter said. “These costs include labor, equipment, supply, and contract costs for multiple state agencies.”
Abbott pledged to send more state resources to the border to “address the chaos in Del Rio created by the Biden Administration,” according to a statement released on Tuesday. The Texas legislature passed a bill allocating an additional $2 billion in state funding for border security.
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