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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can get away with doing too much with border security, because the federal government is doing too little.
Abbott has appalled many Texans with his initiatives that he says are designed to secure the border and stop the flow of illegal drugs. The most controversial plan was ordering inspections of incoming trucks from Mexico. The move stymied traffic and hindered international trade. It came after Abbott offered free bus rides for migrants to Washington, D.C., a clear jab at President Joe Biden.
The conservative Wall Street Journal said Abbott’s “truck inspections are costing Texans and Americans dearly while doing nothing to secure the border.” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who contemplated a run against Abbott, said the governor’s actions “didn’t catch one illegal alien” or “find one ounce of dope.”
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, told me that the inspections got headlines, but created problems.
“Border security is different than trade and commerce,” he said. “Some of these disruptions are impacting trade and commerce.”
Abbott doesn’t care about the criticism.
Securing the nation’s southern border is a top issue for GOP voters. Since Republicans dominate statewide elections, Abbott gets credit for addressing the issue, even if it means trendy cafes won’t have ingredients for avocado toast.
As long as immigration and border security are hot issues, Abbott will lean to the extreme, no matter how much it costs. For his Operation Lone Star at the border, Abbott and top GOP leaders have already pledged nearly $4 billion through fiscal 2023, a nearly fivefold jump over past state budgets.
Federal lawmakers have the ability to put an end to Abbott’s controversial tactics.
They need to fix the nation’s immigration system and put in place strategies to deal with border issues, including periodic surges in migrants seeking asylum.
Federal lawmakers “just simply haven’t done anything,” said Eric Cedillo, a clinical professor of law at SMU. “We should have had some sort of immigration reform, which would include border reform, a long time ago.”
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Both parties are to blame for the lack of comprehensive immigration reform and border security enhancements.
Many Republicans have resisted a guest worker program that would help American businesses curb worker shortages because it’s unpopular with GOP voters. A deal could also be made to give legal status to millions of unauthorized immigrants. Since that would be viewed as amnesty by GOP voters, it’s a non-starter.
Many Republicans avoid answering questions about what metrics should be used to determine if the border is legitimately secure.
Gonzales, a freshman lawmaker who represents border communities, is one of the sponsors of the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, which would curb the migrant problem. The former Navy cryptologist said data should be used to evaluate the success of border security measures.
“The numbers don’t lie,” Gonzales said. “You look at the number of folks that you’re apprehending on the terrorist watch list. You look at the number of drugs that you’re apprehending, the number of nefarious actors that are coming across the border.”
Democrats also have problems with the immigration issue.
When former President Barack Obama won in 2008, Democrats controlled the House and Senate. But Obama didn’t push for comprehensive immigration reform, putting most of his first-term clout behind the Affordable Care Act.
After the Obama era, former President Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the southern border. Democrats and immigration experts criticized Trump’s policies. Now Biden must navigate which of Trump’s policies make sense and which should be ended.
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For many Texans, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris haven’t projected that they’re in control of immigration issues.
The president says he’ll end Title 42, the emergency health order that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used to deport 7,000 Haitian asylum-seekers in Del Rio.
In a twist, Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, has criticized Biden’s plan to lift the pandemic-era health order. He says the administration does not have a plan to deal with future surges of migrants at the border.
For now, it’s unlikely that Biden and Democrats will push an immigration overhaul. Polls show Democrats will likely lose the House in November. Biden doesn’t want a polarizing immigration plan to make things worse.
“We’re heading to the midterms,” Cedillo said. “Biden isn’t going to be able to do anything.”
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Is there hope for solutions?
Cedillo said horrified business leaders helped compel Abbott to scrap the enhanced inspections and deal with Mexican officials in several cities.
“Business is going to kind of step up and start pushing both parties to come to some sort of agreement,” Cedillo said. “We just have an incredible labor shortage across the country and it’s impacting the economy.”
Gonzales said it will take guts to reach compromise on issues involving unauthorized immigrants.
“If you can start with border security and then start increasing work visas, you lower that number of people that are coming over and having to live in the shadows,” he said. “You increase that number of people that can live out in the light.”
Gonzales said policy aimed at the estimated 12 million immigrants living in America without authorization would require limiting their ability to vote.
“You got to take the voting aspect out of it,” he said. “Both parties use this topic to wield and increase their political power.”