Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has formally invited the Democratic mayors of New York City and Washington, D.C., to travel down to Texas for a tour of the southern border and to see firsthand how mass releases of migrants into border communities are affecting his state and the rest of the country.
Abbott sent New York City Mayor Eric Adams and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser a letter Monday offering to arrange a visit so they can see for themselves how “local communities are being overrun,” as a record high number of illegal immigrants are encountered attempting to enter the United States from Mexico without permission since President Joe Biden took office.
“As Governor, I invite you to visit our border region to see firsthand the dire situation that only grows more urgent with each passing day, and to meet with the local officials, who like yourselves, realize this matter deserves immediate federal action,” Abbott wrote. “The crisis demands the attention of not only the Biden Administration, which is responsible for securing the border, but of leaders across the country.”
MIGRANTS BLOCKING MEXICAN HIGHWAYS COULD THREATEN TEXAS AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS
The northeastern Democrats jumped into the immigration debate in late July, concerned about the number of illegal immigrants choosing to board more than 150 state-funded buses from Texas and Arizona that travel to Washington.
While no buses have gone to New York, Adams inaccurately claimed that the Republican states were busing migrants into his city, which is a sanctuary zone and is viewed by illegal immigrants as a safe place to reside because local police do not cooperate with federal immigration police.
Abbott said last week that the several thousand people the state has bused to Washington pales in comparison to what his communities, including Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and McAllen, have faced for the past 16 months. Abbott launched Operation Lone Star a year ago, sending 10,000 state National Guard soldiers and troopers to help overwhelmed federal Border Patrol agents. To date, the state has spent $4 billion funding border security efforts that Abbott has said the federal government ought to be handling.
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Adams and Bowser did not respond to requests for comment.
