President Joe Biden should declare a federal state of emergency for the state of Texas because of the unprecedented surge in illegal immigrants, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.
Abbott, a Republican, declared a state of emergency for the county across the Mexican border earlier this year, but has not prevented thousands of illegal aliens from entering the United States in Del Rio in recent days.
“If you see that Val Verde County is dealing with financial stress and additional counties around the area with healthcare strains and other strains, the president needs to declare a disaster,” Abbott told reporters. Rio on Tuesday.
Abbott sent a letter (PDF) to Biden on Monday requesting but he has not yet listened.
Abbott said a dam on federal property was allowing migrants to “easily cross the river in Rio Grande” and that the “eu” showed no signs of slowing down while making it a life-threatening problem for area residents and irresistible to law enforcement and healthcare resources.
According to Texas officials, about 1,000,000 immigrants entered the area between September 16 and September 1. It is about half of the population of the small town, which is about 35,000.
“Families, including infants, need food, water and medical supplies that local governments cannot provide. Thousands of families have been left stranded in the 100-degree heat as their numbers continue to grow as they wait to be processed by about 64 federal agents in the area. People are camping in bad conditions and bathing in the muddy waters of the river, which is a big concern for health, ”Abbott said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. White House Press Secretary Jane Sackie told reporters Monday that the situation in Del Rio is challenging, seeing video footage of what is happening there is “devastating.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas told senators in Washington on Tuesday that the administration was implementing its plan, which included deporting many Haitians living in Del Rio.
And Biden told reporters in New York that his administration would “bring it under control,” referring to the crisis, which has erupted since taking office in January and overturned Trump-era immigration policies.
But despite the increase in federal assets in Del Rio and the flight of hundreds of Haitians to their home countries, about 8,300 migrants remain under the city bridge, its mayor, Bruno Lozano, told The Epoch Times.
Abbott said that in early February, along with others in the Biden administration, Mayorcas promised him that they would provide resources to prevent what had happened in Del Rio.
He said all these promises were never fulfilled.
It instructed Texas to send state law enforcement to the border, arrest illegal immigrants for infiltration, and take other measures.
In Washington, Mayorkas was sharply interrogated by Sense.
“Do you really believe that the border is not open?” Johnson asked.
“I do,” replied Majorkas.
The official said the number of encounters with illegal aliens on the U.S.-Mexico border has dropped over the past few weeks, with the number of encounters exceeding two million in both July and August.
Howley del Rio pointed to the situation and was surprised that the administration’s plan, which the Homeland Security Department said helped help crack down on illegal immigration, would begin to work.
“We are not finished with the implementation of our plan and I have never proposed otherwise. We continue to do what we need to do to secure our borders. It’s an ongoing process and, in fact, we’re working on it, “said Myorcas.
Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
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Zachary Stiber covers U.S. news, including politics and court cases. He started at The Epoch Times as a New York City metro reporter.
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This News Originally From – The Epoch Times