At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Texas Governor Greg Abbott doubled down on his strict immigration rhetoric, pointing fingers squarely at President Joe Biden's policies, or alleged lack thereof, which he claims have led to a border security crisis. Abbott, in a fiery address to the delegates, accused Biden of neglecting his presidential obligations from day one, stating "Biden deserted his duty on his first day in office" and asserting the president "gutted" his predecessor's framework, leading to what he described as a "catastrophic" situation, as The Texas Tribune reported.
In his pushback against the current administration, Abbott extolled former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and affirmed his continued efforts in sending migrants to northern "sanctuary cities." Abbott pronounced confidently, "When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refused to even come to Texas to see the border crisis, I took the border to them" and vowed to keep busing migrants out of Texas, this policy has cost Texas taxpayers at least $148 million since 2022 and even though it signifies a financial burden, the Texas governor pledged, "Those buses will continue to roll until we finally secure our border".
The governor’s speech came on the heels of recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicating a 32% drop in migrant apprehensions as of June, following Biden's executive orders on asylum that kicked in early June. Meanwhile, Governor Abbott took the opportunity to boast his launch of Operation Lone Star, a state-led border security program initiated two months after Biden assumed the presidency, which has incurred an $11 billion expense to Texas thus far and resulted in physical border measures like rows of concertina wire and improvised walls made from shipping containers, according to the Texas Tribune.
While Abbott draws a direct line from Operation Lone Star to a recent dip in illegal border crossings through Texas, experts suggest this is an oversimplification of a complex issue, citing various factors influencing migration trends — for example, they point to spikes in illegal crossings during the program’s first three years, before a springtime shift in migrant routes to California and Arizona. His speech did more than just outline policy, it amplified sentiment among the gathered crowd, who responded with chants of "send them back!" As the governor delineated his strategies for dealing with what he described as a "border crisis".
