Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to send "even more buses" of migrants to cities on, including Washington, D.C. on Thursday if the Biden administration moved forward with a rumored plan to keep migrants in Texas.
This comes as the administration faces pressure from left-leaning officials in cities such as New York over migrant traffic, as Fox News reported.
"Biden considers forcing migrant families to remain in Texas. This scam was tried years ago & was shot down by a judge," Abbott said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We will send Biden the same swift justice."
"And, we will add even more buses of migrants to Washington D.C.," he said.
Start of the Public Conflict
Abbott responded to a Los Angeles Times article on a possible DHS program to track illegal immigrant families with GPS devices like ankle bands to keep them in Texas.
The Times said that the families would undergo an asylum process to see if they could stay or be deported more quickly owing to their proximity to the border.
The site said that it mimicked a Reagan-era arrangement that kept migrants near the border while their applications were processed.
While it would appeal to conservatives that migrants should be detained or closely monitored so they can be deported quickly rather than released with a notice to appear in court, it would also put pressure on the Republican state and likely draw strong opposition from lawmakers there.
The Family Expedited Removal Program, which enforces curfews and monitors families in large cities, would be expanded.
Biden considers forcing migrant families to remain in Texas.
This scam was tried years ago & was shot down by a judge.
We will send Biden the same swift justice.
And, we will add even more buses of migrants to Washington D.C.https://t.co/732FdGZ8jB
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 8, 2023
Administration Response
A DHS spokesperson responded to the report, saying that the administration "is committed to expanding safe and orderly pathways for migrants to lawfully enter the United States, while imposing consequences to those who fail to use those pathways."
"Since May 2023, DHS has removed or returned over 200,000 individuals, including over 17,000 individual family unit members," they said.
"DHS continuously holds policy and operational discussions on how to leverage our authorities to ensure a fair, humane, and effective immigration process that efficiently removes those without a lawful basis to stay in the country," the statement went on.
