WATCH: Texas Governor Says Biden Administration Completely Abandoned Enforcing Immigration Laws
Texas Governor Greg Abbott met on Saturday with a contingent of Texas sheriffs to discuss their concerns about the current border crisis’s impact on counties within the state. According to Abbott, the necessity of such workshops is caused by the current administration’s abandonment of efforts to enforce immigration laws that were passed by the United States Congress.
Governor Abbott heard commentary from several sheriffs from different regions of the state who expressed concern with the increasing levels of arrests made in connection to the current migrant surge along the border. Issues discussed also included the heightened level of danger to the public as a result of high-speed pursuits on Texas highways.
At the conclusion of the event, Abbott expressed his dismay at the current administrations handling of the crisis. “The bottom line is, because of the current administration’s complete abandonment of enforcing the laws passed that were passed by the United States Congress, concerning immigration, there is an unprecedented increase in people coming across the border,” the Texas governor told the group of Sheriffs. He concluded, saying, “Even though the federal government may have abandoned their responsibility, we have not.”
“President Biden’s open border policies have led to a disaster on our border, and the State of Texas is stepping up in the federal government’s absence to keep our communities safe,” the governor told the sheriffs. “Our efforts would not be possible without our partnership with local law enforcement. With their support, we are working tirelessly to stop the influx of unlawful immigrants and prevent the smuggling of contraband into the state.”
“But more help is needed, which is why I called for legislation this Special Session to provide more border security funding for law enforcement and counties,” Abbott continued. “This funding will help us better step up to meet this challenge and gives our border communities the resources and support they need. I strongly urge the legislature to take up this issue, and I thank our law enforcement partners for their continued efforts to secure the border.”
Several sheriffs expressed concern regarding challenges facing their jails reaching maximum detention capacity. Abbott offered a potential solution to this issue through the installation of soft-sided facilities to quickly create more detention space. The increase in arrests is the result of heightened law enforcement presence under Operation Lone Star, launched by the Governor in March.
This operation involved the deployment of 1,000 Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers and Texas Army National Guard troops to the border area.
The operation resulted in an increase in arrests of not only narcotics and human traffickers, but also those facing warrants and parole or probation violations.
Abbott promised the attendees his Border Security Project Team would continue to work to meet the demands the crisis is placing on local communities throughout the state.
The following sheriff’s attended the Governors briefing:
- Sheriff Clint McDonald, Executive Director of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition
- Sheriff Oscar Carrillo, Culberson County
- Sheriff Brad Coe, Kinney County
- Sheriff Ray Del Bosque, Zapata County
- Sheriff Danny Dominguez, Presidio County
- Deputy Sheriff Hugo Garza, Dimmit County
- Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, Val Verde County
- Sheriff Eusevio Salinas, Zavala County
- Sheriff Kelly Rowe, Lubbock County
- Sheriff Roy Boyd, Goliad County
- Sheriff Emmett Shelton. McMullen County
“Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Adjutant General of Texas Tracy Norris, joined Governor Abbott in the briefing.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
Mo Brooks: Wage Suppression is ‘#1 Priority of US Chamber of Commerce’
DALLAS, Texas — U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) says Republicans should have a simple position on illegal immigration: stand up for American workers.
“Republicans need to have the courage to stand up for the average American,” Brooks, a candidate for U.S. Senate, told Breitbart News at CPAC Dallas, “and quit catering to entities like the United States Chamber of Commerce who are hellbent on punishing Americans by suppressing their wages and taking jobs from them and handing them over to illegal aliens or lawful visa workers.”
“This is the Number 1 priority of the United States Chamber of Commerce: the suppression of wages, hurting American families and we need Republicans who are willing to stand up to that and do what’s in the best interest of America,” he said.
The Chamber, often derided as an organ of the Republican Party, raised eyebrows in the 2020 election when it endorsed 23 Democrats for reelection, The Hill reported.
In February, Chamber CEO Thomas Donohue praised President Joe Biden’s rollback of a number of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies:
We commend President Biden for taking action to ensure the reunification of separated families, address irregular migration across the Southern Border, and improve the functionality of our nation’s immigration system by conducting a top-to-bottom review of barriers to our legal immigration system. Policies adopted over the past several years have undermined critical employment-based visa programs and significantly hindered many different companies’ ability to expand their domestic operations and create jobs for Americans. President Biden’s order to coordinate immigration policy through the White House and his effort to ensure that legal immigration is fair and efficient are a clear indication of the priority his administration has placed on fixing our broken immigration system. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration to address these critical issues.
Brooks told Breitbart News new people need to be elected to the White House and Congress to fix the problems at the southern border.
“Our elected officials have made a lot of bad decisions and Americans have suffered as a consequence,” he said.
Brooks said roughly 2,000 Americans die each year at the hands of illegal aliens.
“If we had a secure southern border, that’s 2,000 Americans who would be alive each year,” but are not because of the porous border with Mexico. He said another 30,000 Americans die annually from drug overdoses.
“Where is the sympathy?” for them, he wondered.
“If you’re going to be an elected official for Americans, you would think that the lives of Americans would have some degree of priority,” Brooks said.
So far, it does not appear Brooks’s Democrat colleague would agree.
In June, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) stood at the southern border and likened it to the port of entry for Europeans a century ago.
“Welcome to El Paso. Welcome to my community, to the new Ellis Island, to the capital of the border,” Escobar told Vice President Kamala Harris during a brief visit.
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays–download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Parler.
Undocumented farmworkers push Congress for protections amid historic heat
Sebastian Francisco Perez, a 38-year-old undocumented farmworker from Guatemala, was working at a tree farm in Oregon on June 26 when he died during the record-breaking heat wave that swept across the region.
"He had dreams of starting a family with his wife, Maria, who is in Guatemala right now. ... He was only here for two months without papers, trying to save up money to start fertility treatments," said Reyna Lopez, the executive director of PCUN, a farmworker union based in Oregon.
As temperatures reached 115 degrees in the Pacific Northwest in late June, a spotlight has again shined on the brutal and, at times, life-threatening conditions some farmworkers in America face.
Perez's death has added urgency to a push for undocumented farmworkers to gain legal immigration status, which advocates say is needed for them to fight for basic worker protections.
Agricultural workers were 35 times more likely to die of heat-related illnesses compared to workers of other industries from 2000 to 2010, according to research published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Oftentimes, farmworkers who do not have proper documentation suppress concerns about hazardous working conditions, including extreme heat, due to fears of deportation or job loss, said Roxana Chicas, an assistant professor at Emory University School of Nursing, who spoke with reporters on a call last week to highlight the concerning conditions faced by farmworkers.
Leticia, an undocumented farmworker in Washington and a mother of four whose last name was not disclosed for security reasons, told reporters on the call Thursday that even in 115 degrees, she was not not given shade or access to water.
"I fear not making it home to my husband and children," she said.
MORE: Farmworkers especially vulnerable as dangerous heat wave scorches wide swath of US
On Tuesday, Gov. Kate Brown directed Oregon Occupational Safety and Health to create emergency rules requiring employers to provide shade, breaks and cool water for workers during high temperatures. And in Washington, a new law passed in May allowed state farmworkers to receive overtime pay and make complaints against their employers without retaliation.
However, there are no federal emergency heat standards protecting farmworkers from extreme weather conditions.
"We need our federal government to walk and chew gum at the same time," Lopez said of protecting workers while also giving them a path to legal status. "We need strong standards to protect the workers that feed America."
According to a report published by political organization FWD.us, about 73% of agricultural workers are immigrants and about half of them are undocumented.
Farmworker advocates in the last few weeks have doubled down on their push for Congress to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which would give farmworkers a path to earn legal status if they continue to work in agriculture. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act states that most immigrant farmworkers hold an H-2A visa, which is temporary and dependent on an employer's sponsorship.
The bill has passed the House with bipartisan support and is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee pending a hearing.
MORE: Oregon's heat wave death toll reaches 107 in 'mass casualty' event
If passed and signed by the president, the law would provide stability and bargaining power to immigrant farmworkers who are vulnerable to abuse, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who authored the bill.
"It's not everything that everyone wanted, but it's something we could all support," she added, referring to nearly universal support from Democrats as well as from some Republicans, including Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
Even with some support from the other side of the aisle, Democrats are considering trying to include some immigration provisions in an expected budget reconciliation bill later this year. That route could allow them to try to pass such policies without needing any GOP votes.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would grant those who performed agricultural labor for at least 180 days within two years certified agricultural worker status. One way a farmworker can then apply for a green card is to prove they have worked a total of 10 years in agriculture, including four years in certified agricultural worker status.
"When you're undocumented, it really limits your ability to speak up and I want everyone to know the truth to what happens and that's we're too afraid to speak up in the workplace," said Leticia. "Giving farmworkers a path to citizenship will give them the ability to speak up about injustices they face."
MORE: How heat waves, climate change put people with disabilities at risk
The act would require farms to maintain a heat-illness prevention plan that includes worker training, access to water, shade, regular breaks and protocols for emergency response.
President Joe Biden has supported the legislation and mentioned it on Friday during a naturalization ceremony for new citizens, saying he thought there needed to be "a pathway [toward citizenship] for farmworkers who are here putting food on our tables but are not citizens."
ABC News' MaryAlice Parks contributed to this report.
Undocumented farmworkers push Congress for protections amid historic heat originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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