Latino organizations in Texas criticize, support Abbott's executive order that would return migrants to border crossings
TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Latino organizations are criticizing and supporting Governor Greg Abbott's new Executive Order empowering National Guard members and State Troopers to return migrants to federal border crossings in Texas.
The Governor's order doesn't declare an invasion and doesn't authorize the state authorities to deport those who entered the U.S. illegally.
Rudy Rosales, Texas state director, LULAC said Friday, "The Governor does not have it within his authority to make such an executive order, number one. Number two, the fact that he continues to label this as an invasion, rather than a humanitarian crisis. He's just placating his base. He's playing politics with people's lives."
Orlando Sanchez, founder of Texas Latino Conservatives applauded the order.
"The governor is doing exactly what any good governor would do, and that is protect the legal residents, the legal citizens and the taxpayers of the state of Texas," Sanchez said. "For far too long, we've borne the brunt of providing social services, education, health care for undocumented and uninspected people that cross the border."
Governor Abbott blames President Joe Biden and his administration for not securing the border and allowing drug cartels to smuggle in record numbers of people, weapons, and deadly drugs such as fentanyl.
"While President Biden refuses to do his job and enforce the immigration laws enacted by Congress, the State of Texas is once again stepping up and taking unprecedented action to protect Americans and secure our southern border," Sanchez said.
The federal government has jurisdiction over immigration. The Governor's executive order may spark a federal lawsuit.
As part of the Governor's Operation Lone Star, the state has deployed thousands of National Guard members and Texas DPS Troopers.
The state is spending $4 billion on border security.
The Biden administration is reportedly investigating Operation Lone Star for alleged civil rights violations.
A White House Spokesman, Abdullah Hasan, sent CBS News a statement rejecting the Governor's Executive Order.
"Governor Abbott's record on immigration doesn't give us confidence in what he has cooked up now. His so-called Operation Lone Star put national guardsmen and law enforcement in dangerous situations," Hasan said. "President Biden is focused on real policy solutions to actually secure our border."
Rosales said the Governor is wasting state resources.
"There is no simple solution and for him to do these really, really political stunts at the expense of the taxpayer in Texas is really, it's unconscionable, and he needs to be called on it," Rosales said.
Sanchez disagreed and said "I can tell you as a person that is a property taxpayer along the border in Kinney County, Texas. We don't believe, border counties do not believe, that this is a waste of money. Border counties and taxpayers along the Mexican border in Texas have been ignored for decades."
But both Sanchez and Rosales agree on at least one thing: They said members of Congress are at fault.
Rosales said, "There's a lot of blame to go around here, Democrat and Republican. The fact that the Congress, which is being stalled in the Senate, with that filibuster, we can't get any comprehensive immigration policy. So to blame the President alone on this issue is not only naive, it's really, it's disingenuous."
Sanchez said, "Congress needs to get to work and the President needs to sign bipartisan legislation that looks at immigration. Remember, immigration has not been looked at since 1986 and that is Congress shirking their responsibility."
Abbott's border policies are a key part of his re-election campaign in November and will be a big issue in the race against Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who has criticized those policies.
