WASHINGTON, Jul 8, 2022 (AFP) — On Friday (8) after the Texas governor authorized security forces to repatriate immigrants, the White House warned that immigration control is the responsibility of federal officials and states should “not interfere.” up to the Mexican border.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference that enforcing immigration laws “is the responsibility of federal officials and states not to interfere.”
On Thursday, Texas Governor Republican Greg Abbott signed an executive order authorizing the National Guard and the Department of Public Safety to “arrest immigrants passing through illegal entry points and return them to the border.” southern border”.
According to Karine Jean-Pierre, Abbott “has a history of creating borderline chaos and confusion”.
In April, the governor decided to increase control of trucks along the Mexican border, affecting the flow of trade, and sent buses to Washington with undocumented immigrants.
Another White House spokesman, Abdullah Hassan, said Abbott’s previous attempts “do not inspire confidence in what he has now prepared.”
Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative launched by Abbott in 2021 in response to an increase in illegal crossings attributed to President Joe Biden’s immigration policy, “put the National Guard and law enforcement in dangerous situations and caused a logistical nightmare,” added Hasan.
President Biden “focuses on real policy solutions to truly secure our border: installing new border technologies, securing record levels of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, making more than 2,800 arrests in the first three months of launching an unprecedented anti-smuggling campaign,” he listed.
A week ago, the United States Supreme Court approved the Biden administration to end the ‘Stay in Mexico’ program created by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2019, which allows Mexican asylum seekers to be sent back to the region to await the conclusion of their cases. cross-border resolved.
“Challenging the Constitution”
The Texas executive order sparked strong backlash. Domingo Garcia, president of the Association of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), has asked the United States Attorney General and district attorneys in counties to “investigate Governor Abbott and Governor (Dan) Patrick for possible criminal and civil violations of federal laws.” and state law”.
In an interview this week, Dan Patrick said, referring to undocumented immigrants entering the United States, “you have to get your hands on people and start sending them back.”
Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers, agreed that Abbott’s decision was “morally reprehensible and arguably illegal.”
“The U.S. Constitution makes clear that the enforcement of immigration law is the responsibility of a federal authority,” compelling the Biden administration to “respond swiftly with the defendant.”
“This challenge to the Constitution puts law enforcement at risk of breaking the law,” warns Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, political director of the American Council on Immigration.
“Immigrants seeking security, protection and a better life in the United States are not an occupying army,” he said.
The Mexican government attributes Abbott’s initiative to “an election campaign context in the state of Texas” with the approach of November’s midterm legislative elections, including for governors.
The immigration crisis will be one of the main topics Biden will discuss with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Washington next Tuesday.
According to the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP), May set a new record for the number of encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border of the United States (239,416), that is, for every immigrant arrival. and surrenders to an authority or is stopped when he tries to pass.
source: Noticias
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