I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that what’s going on in Texas over the transportation of COVID-infected illegals could be the flashpoint of something that could get out of control and lead…well, let’s just say it’s worth watching.
Everybody knows that the federal government is taking illegals from the border and transporting them all over the country. The stupid irony of demanding mask and vaccine mandates and other restrictions on Americans, while keeping the border wide open for trespassers to spread COVID has been lost on no one, particularly as reports have surfaced that the feds aren’t even vaccinating the illegals who are coming in – or even trying to quarantine the ones who are positive for the virus.
If you’ll remember your history, that was the purpose of Ellis Island back during the last major wave of immigration to this country. They would process immigrants there and keep them quarantined for a time so as to limit the spread of disease brought by immigrants among our population.
And that was with a far smaller and less intrusive government than we have now.
Well, in Texas this has not been met kindly by the folks. When 85 percent-Hispanic McAllen, Texas, located on the border, elects a Republican mayor, you can see that the locals are losing patience with the feds’ foolishness on the border.
And Greg Abbott, Texas’ governor, has seen enough. Abbott already said that the state of Texas will finish the border wall on its own, and he’s summoned National Guard troops to the border to bolster the enforcement presence there.
We’re on pace to take in some 2 million illegals this year, and most of them seem to be coming to Texas. It’s understandable that Texas’ governor would start putting his foot down.
Now Abbott is trying to do something about the transportation of all these illegals to parts unknown around the country, something that the American people haven’t been consulted on at all and which doesn’t seem to have a very firm basis in law.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Wednesday that aims to prevent non-governmental entities from providing transportation to migrants “who pose a risk of COVID-19 into Texas communities.” The order states that “no person, other than a federal, state, or local law-enforcement official, shall provide ground transportation to a group of migrants who have been detained by [Customs and Border Protection] for crossing the border illegally or who would have been subject to expulsion under the Title 42 order.” Title 42 refers to a policy implemented by the Trump administration that allows border officials to remove migrants detained between ports of entry who “pose a serious danger of the introduction of [a communicable] disease into the United States.” Under the governor’s order, the “Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is directed to stop any vehicle upon suspicion” of transporting migrants, “and to reroute such a vehicle back to its point of origin or point of entry if a violation is confirmed.”
The wording of he executive order is interesting, because it doesn’t bar the federal government from moving the illegals around. What it bars is the use of civilians for that purpose. It seems that there are non-profits and NGO’s being contracted to do that work, which carries its own problems.
Well, when Abbott released that executive order, Garland, the Attorney General in Washington, went ballistic.
Attorney General Merrick Garland threatened Thursday to take legal actions against Texas after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order restricting non-governments from transporting illegal aliens. Garland sent a letter to Abbott urging the governor to rescind executive order GA 37, and said the order violated federal law. It also said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would take legal action against Texas if the order remained in place. “I urge you to immediately rescind the Order. If you do not do so, I’m providing notice that the United States intends to pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government,” the letter said. “In short, the Order is contrary to federal law and cannot be enforced,” he said, referring to the federal government’s broad powers to enforce immigration laws. “To the extend the Order interferes with immigration enforcement, the Order is unconstitutional.”
Abbott wasn’t too impressed with Garland’s reasoning…
Abbott responded Thursday in a statement criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of the border crisis. “It is clear that the Biden Administration fundamentally misunderstands what is truly happening at the Texas-Mexico border. The current crisis at our southern border is entirely the creation of the Biden Administration and its failed immigration policies.” “In short, the Biden Administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis by refusing to follow the law. I will take every available step consistent with the law to fulfill my duty to protect the health and safety of all Texans,” he added.
If this looks to you like there could be a pretty significant collision coming out of this disagreement, you might have a good handle on the situation.
Because the people of Texas are pretty steamed about the situation with the illegals, and Abbott is acting because they’ve demanded it. He’s up for re-election next year and this is the single most effective path for him to achieve that.
Can he back the feds down? And if he can’t, how far does this go?
And if this turns into a confrontation, one which begins to look less and less inconceivable or implausible, how does it get resolved?
Worth watching, is all we’ll say.