U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg took aim at Texas Governor Greg Abbott while at an event in Austin.
Buttigieg spoke at the Texas Tribune Festival, which The Dallas Express attended, using the opportunity to discuss his record in government and comment on ongoing political issues in the state.
When asked about Gov. Gregg Abbott’s program, which voluntarily transports migrants to various self-declared ‘sanctuary cities,’ the former presidential hopeful responded, “Well, it’s not helpful.”
After the audience laughed, Buttigieg continued, “Obviously, there are issues at the border and migration. But these are the types of stunts you see from people who don’t have solutions.”
“I get it if you’re after attention. It’s one thing to call attention to a problem when you have a course of action … it’s another to just call attention to a problem because the problem is actually more useful to you than a solution.”
Buttigieg’s admission that border security is a problem seems to contradict the contention of fellow administration member Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently claimed that “the border is secure.”
The press secretary of Gov. Abbott’s office, Renae Eze, told The Dallas Express, “Secretary Buttigieg knows nothing about Texas’ busing operations and needs to stay in his lane. The Biden Administration is full of a bunch of hypocrites, led by the Hypocrite-in-Chief who has been flying planeloads of migrants across the country and oftentimes in the cover of night.”
She continued, “These migrants willingly chose to go to sanctuary cities Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago, having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination.”
She stated the migrants, “were processed and released by the federal government, who dumped them in small Texas border towns.
“Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, the Biden Administration needs to step up and do their jobs to secure the border—something they continue failing to do,” she concluded.
In Texas, however, Abbott’s approach to the border has increased his momentum as the gubernatorial election approaches.
Approximately 54% of Texans said they approved of Gov. Abbott’s busing program, which provides voluntary transportation for migrants to the self-declared sanctuary cities of Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
Additionally, a recent University of Texas poll suggested that 48% of voters “trust Abbott to do a better job than O’Rourke” on immigration and border security, holding a 12-point advantage over the Democratic challenger.
Before the event, environmental protesters lined the street opposite the venue, calling on Secretary Buttigieg to prevent the construction of seaport oil terminals on the Gulf Coast.
As a gas-powered plane flew overhead with a banner reading “Stop SPOT PleasePete.com,” protesters chanted, “Hey you, you know, all that gas has got to go!”
The protesters momentarily interrupted the event as well when several made their way into the venue’s upper balcony and unfurled a large banner while yelling for Buttigieg’s attention.
The Dallas Express reached out to the protester’s organization for comment but received no reply prior to press.