Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson says the Biden administration is violating the Hyde Amendment by flying illegal immigrants to other states for abortion services.
"As a senator, Biden was completely behind the Hyde Amendment even in cases of incest or rape," Carson said during an appearance Friday on Newsmax TV's "Spicer & Co."
"Talk about a 180-degree flip. Is it really fair to American citizens to have to take on the burden when they have so many burdens of their own, particularly financial burdens with the inflation roaring and with the economy going south, with peoples 401Ks going south? Why are we picking up more debt?"
Thirteen states passed laws that aimed to trigger full or partial bans on abortion after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had recognized women's constitutional right to an abortion.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to defend the rights of women to travel to other states for medical care.
But women without legal immigration status are more likely to face difficulties crossing state lines to access abortions if the procedure is banned where they live, said Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of the New York-based advocacy organization the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
Carson said Biden now wants to bring a lawsuit against Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott for "trying to intervene and stop all these people coming in illegally and it tells you exactly what you need to know – that it's all intentional and planned on their behalf."
Several states with so-called "trigger" laws - such as Texas, Arizona and Florida - have large immigrant populations but do not allow people without legal status to get a driver's license, according to a 2021 report by the National Immigration Law Center.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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