Texas Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed four other governors from across the U.S. to the southern border for a tour on Monday, giving a press conference afterward highlighting the ongoing crisis.
Joining Abbott were Govs. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Each has committed law enforcement resources to assist Texas in increasing border security.
“Altogether, counting Texas, we have 15 governors and 15 states from the United States that are deploying personnel to secure the border,” Gov. Abbott said at a press conference following the tour.
“If you add all the other states that are supporting this mission, 25 governors and 25 states, half of the states of the United States of America are banding together to step up and secure our border that President Biden has abandoned,” he continued.
“There are very simple reasons why we’re having to do this, the primary reason is that Joe Biden is not doing his job,” Abbott claimed. “Joe Biden is responsible for the largest amount of illegal immigration in the history of the United States.”
“There are deadly consequences because of that. More people are dying per year under Joe Biden as president than under any president in the history of the United States,” he continued. “The border between the United States and Mexico is turning into a deadly welcome mat for the migrants coming here.”
“Joe Biden is responsible for that deadly border. But us governors are not going to stand idly by and watch that destruction wrecked upon the United States,” he continued.
“We are fully authorized by the Constitution of the United States of America to do exactly what we are doing, and that is secure our border,” Abbott said.
“Texas has been ground zero for over two years because of the Biden-created catastrophe that we see at the southern border,” Iowa’s Gov. Reynolds said after Abbott introduced her.
“On day one this administration has reversed policies that protect the sovereignty of this country and its citizens,” she added. “It is time for the president, it is way past time, for the president to step up and do his job.”
She noted that 109 Iowa national guard members were currently deployed to Texas, emphasizing that open borders have allowed for an increase in crime, drugs, and human trafficking in her state.
Meanwhile, Nebraska has deployed 61 guardsmen as well, according to the state’s Gov. Jim Pillen.
Describing his first visit to the southern border, the newly elected governor said he was in “Disbelief, absolute disbelief of the misrepresentation of the buoys.”
“The buoys are a deterrent and don’t cause a band-aid, and if they do, I say, ‘What the heck, stay on your side of the river,’” he remarked.
“We are fighting cartels that are trying to kill our kids,” Pillen continued. My message is simple, we have to do the work, and to the Biden administration and federal government, do your dadgum job.”
South Dakota’s Gov. Kristi Noem then stepped up and added, “What we are witnessing is a war zone.”
“It’s a war against America,” she added. “It’s threatening our sovereignty.”
“These policies are inhumane, … what they’re doing to these people,” she said, referring to the Biden administration’s handling of border security. “We just need the president to enforce the laws we have.”
Oklahoma’s Gov. Kevin Stitt added that under President Joe Biden, “Every state is a border state.”
“I think the American people need to understand we just need a policy change,” he said, urging for a return to Trump-era doctrines. “You don’t have a brain if you don’t think we need to secure our border.”
“We’re glad to join in,” he concluded, calling Gov. Abbott the “point of the spear” on efforts to secure the border.
“Texans and our fellow Americans have deep gratitude to the service members who serve on our southern border,” Abbott said in closing. “Just the Texas Department of Public Safety alone has seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States.”
“Thousands of people are losing their lives because of Joe Biden’s open borders,” he added.
“The country cannot suffer four more years under Joe Biden,” Abbott declared, turning his attention to the upcoming elections. “The soul of America will be crushed.”
“Every state, every state in the country, is a border state,” he said, echoing Stitt. “Look at what’s going on in New York, look at what’s going on in Illinois. … Americans will not tolerate it anymore.”
While state governors and other public officials have denounced the Biden administration’s approach to border security, the Department of Homeland Security has claimed, “The Administration’s plan is working as intended.”
Others have criticized Operation Lone Star, suggesting that it has led to inhumane treatment of those attempting to enter the country unlawfully.
Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) recently sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding an investigation into the border security measures taken by Texas.
“Since he launched Operation Lone Star more than two years ago, Gov. Abbott has taken drastic measures to curb illegal immigration. … What began as a farce has now turned into violent, horrifying injuries and death,” Gutierrez claimed.