Governor Abbott: If Biden Punishes Border Patrol Agents, ‘I Will Hire’ Them To Defend Texas’ Border

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said during an interview on Sunday that he will hire U.S. Border Patrol agents if they are at risk of being fired by the Biden administration amidst the recent developments at the border.

Abbott said on “Fox News Sunday” with host Chris Wallace that President Biden and Department Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were “in dereliction of duty” because they have “abandoned any pretense of securing the sovereignty of either Texas or the United States by having these open border policies.”

Abbott said that his move to surge hundreds of state police officers to the border this last week was “when the illegal migration stopped.”

“That’s exactly what the Biden administration could do if they wanted to,” Abbott continued. “But Chris, it’s the kind of thing that Texas is going to have to continue to do in addition to the other policies that you did not announce and that is, as opposed to catch and release, Texas has imposed a policy where we are going to arrest and jail people who come in across the border for trespassing into areas into the state of Texas.”

When asked if he was overstepping his authority by effectively taking over immigration in the state of Texas from the federal government, Abbott said that he was doing it “because the Biden administration is refusing to do its duty to enforce the laws of the United States,” thus leaving Texas “in no position other than for us to step up and do what we have to do.”

Later, when asked about the Border Patrol agents who rode up on the illegal aliens entering the U.S., Abbott pointed to false claims that have been circulated about the situation.

“First, they wouldn’t have been in that situation had the Biden administration enforced the immigration laws and secured the border in the first place,” Abbott said. “Second, as you know, Chris, the person who took those pictures said that the characterization that the Democrats have made about the Border Patrol using them as whips, whipping people, coming across the border is false. They were simply maneuvering horses.”

“But the last thing I will tell you is what the President said going after the Border Patrol, who were risking their lives and working so hard to try to secure the border, if he takes any action against them whatsoever, I have worked side by side with those Border Patrol agents,” Abbott continued. “I want them to know something, if they are at risk of losing their job, got a president who is abandoning his duty to secure the border, you have a job in the state of Texas. I will hire you to help Texas secure our border.”

TRANSCRIPT:

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: You just heard my conversation with Secretary Mayorkas. Your reaction?

GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS GOVERNOR: Listen, Secretary Mayorkas and, if I can be candid, even president of Biden, they are in dereliction of duty. Listen, he talked to you about the laws they were trying to apply. The United States Constitution itself requires that the President and the federal government secure the sovereignty of the United States of America, including the states in the United States of America. And the Biden administration has abandoned any pretense of securing the sovereignty of either Texas or the United States by having these open border policies that you so well articulated. They have created a magnet that led to these massive groups of Haitians as well as the other groups that are coming here for one reason. And that’s because they have sent a message and a signal to the entire world that they are not going to secure the border. They’re going to allow them across. You talked to Secretary Mayorkas, repeatedly asking him why they did not stop the Haitians from coming across the border in the first place. Chris, everyone knew including the Biden administration, the Haitians had gathered on the Mexican side of the border before they crossed and the Biden administration did nothing to stop those Haitians who had gathered in mass in Mexico from coming across the border.

WALLACE: So governor, let me ask you about what you’re trying to do. You have a setup what you call Operation Lone Star in Texas, and let’s take a look at some of the measures. The Texas Legislature has approved almost $3 billion for border security, including building a wall, you’ve surged thousands of state personnel, including National Guard, to work with local law enforcement. Governor, are you in effect taking over immigration policy for the state of Texas?

ABBOTT: I will give you the words of border patrol agents themselves in Del Rio, when they said that the surge of migrants across the border was stopped only when the Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Guard showed up to provide a steel barrier to prevent the migrants from coming across. As soon as the National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety showed up literally with hundreds if not thousands of vehicles, that is when the illegal migration stopped. That’s exactly what the Biden administration could do if they wanted to. But Chris, it’s the kind of thing that Texas is going to have to continue to do in addition to the other policies that you did not announce and that is, as opposed to catch and release, Texas has imposed a policy where we are going to arrest and jail people who come in across the border for trespassing into areas into the state of Texas.

WALLACE: Well, let me ask you, because in there, your first answer you said that under the Constitution, the President has a responsibility to protect the sovereignty of this country. And I know you’re a strict constitutionalist. But the Constitution is pretty clear, and so has the Supreme Court and repeated rulings that it is the federal government, whether it does it or not, it’s the federal government that has responsibility for immigration laws. And in fact, the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has written to you and threatened to sue, arguing that you and your state are overstepping your authority.

ABBOTT: Because the Biden administration is refusing to do its duty to enforce the laws of the United States, they have left Texas in no position other than for us to step up and do what we have to do. You know, you mentioned the people in Del Rio and the way that Del Rio was overrun by a population about the same size of Del Rio that have been coming across the border illegally, as governor, I’m not gonna let that happen. I am going to step up and do whatever I have to do to make sure that I protect the people of Del Rio, as well as all these other communities in the state of Texas, that the Biden administration is ignoring. The people in South Texas, they are angry about the Biden administration for ignoring them, for abetting them, the Biden administration cares far more about people who are not in this country than he does of the people, American citizens who live in this country. And I’m going to step up and support the citizens of the United States of America.

WALLACE: A number of people have been, Democrats especially, have expressed outrage over those Border Patrol officers on horseback, who were at the border and seem to be trying to block Haitians pretty aggressively from coming across the border. Here was President Biden on all of that this week.

…

WALLACE: Governor, even if you think that those officers are being scapegoated, are you at all troubled by the images of these officers on horseback, very aggressively, pushing back on the Haitian immigrants coming across?

ABBOTT: Several quick points first, they wouldn’t have been in that situation had the Biden administration enforced the immigration laws and secured the border in the first place. Second, as you know, Chris, the person who took those pictures said that the characterization that the Democrats have made about the Border Patrol using them as whips, whipping people, coming across the border is false. They were simply maneuvering horses. But the last thing I will tell you is what the President said — going after the Border Patrol, who were risking their lives and working so hard to try to secure the border — if he takes any action against them whatsoever, I have worked side by side with those Border Patrol agents. I want them to know something, if they are at risk of losing their job, got a president who is abandoning his duty to secure the border, you have a job in the state of Texas. I will hire you to help Texas secure our border.

Contributed by The Daily Wire.