House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., slammed the Biden administration's open border policies as "undermining" the nation's security following a talk he had Monday with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Abbott and Biden have butted heads over the flood of illegal immigrants into his state from Mexico and the governor's efforts to stop it. Abbott instructed the Texas National Guard to put up barriers of razor wire along the Rio Grande River that separates the U.S. from Mexico, and the Supreme Court last week ruled Biden's Customs and Border Patrol agents can cut down the wire.
The Biden administration also is suing to stop a Texas law that takes effect March 5 making it a state crime to cross into the country illegally between ports of entry. It penalizes repeat offenders with up to 20 years in prison. The law allows a judge to drop the charges if the illegal immigrant agrees to return to Mexico. The Biden administration maintains the federal government alone is solely responsible for border security.
"Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government and the state of Texas have a dual and complementary responsibility to exercise police powers to protect the health and safety of the people," Johnson said in a news release obtained by Newsmax. "Sadly, President Biden and his administration have undermined security, creating an ongoing catastrophe along the southern border.
"While we fight for the federal government to do its job, it is the expectation of the U.S. House of Representatives that the Biden Administration will not interfere as Texas fulfills its responsibilities."
Johnson wrote a letter to the House Republican Conference last week in which he said a bipartisan Senate deal involving Ukraine aid and southern border policy would be dead on arrival in the House if it incentivized illegal immigrants "to break our laws."
"I made clear [with Biden] that we stand with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his heroic efforts to protect the citizens of his state and all Americans," Johnson wrote, "and I am emphasizing again today that House Republicans will vigorously oppose any policy proposals from the White House or Senate that would further incentivize illegal aliens to break our laws."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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