Texas Governor Greg Abbott Appeals on FEMA's Denial of Emergency Declaration Amid Border Crisis
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an official appeal on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) emergency declaration that he submitted amid the migrant surge in the border.
Abbott submitted his appeal by writing a letter addressed to President Joe Biden.
It can be recalled that the Texas governor submitted his request for emergency declaration on September 20, but it was denied on September 29, as he promised on the same day that he would issue an appeal on the said decision, The Hill reported.
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Gov. Greg Abbott Issues Appeal After FEMA Denied Emergency Declaration
In the letter, Abbott also contended that the border crisis is still ongoing and "continues to escalate," mentioning the "dire situation" in Val Verde County. The governor also pointed out that this was one of the reasons why he requested the president to reconsider the denial of the emergency declaration.
The Texas governor also argued that the failure of the federal government to enforce its immigration laws and stop the illegal crossings on the federal property led to "substantial burdens" on the local and state resources.
"Local officials and Texas citizens are fatigued and running out of resources to respond to the ongoing border crisis," Abbot said. The governor furthered that supplementary federal assistance is important to address the threat of border crisis and protect property, public health, and safety.
The Texas governor then pointed out that they will continue to respond to the border crisis alongside the federal government but emphasized that their state should not "withstand" the financial burden of the issue alone.
The appeal for emergency declaration came as the southwestern border saw an uptick of Haitian migrants that sought shelter under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas. It can be recalled that an estimated 15,000 migrants gathered in the encampment last month. The deportation of the illegal immigrants continue.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, State Governors, Unveil 10-Point Plan for Border Crisis
The Texas governor issuing an appeal over the emergency declaration FEMA declined also came a day after he and other state governors unveiled the 10-point plan that the Biden administration can utilize to battle the ongoing border crisis.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the state governors said that continuing Title 42, resuming the deportation of all criminals, fully reinstating the "Migrant Protection Protocols," and deploying more federal law enforcement officers on the border are among the actions the government can do to combat the surge of migration.
Other plans include the completion of the border security; the end of catch and release; clearing the judicial backlog; dedicating federal resources to human and drug trafficking; and re-entering on the agreement on Northern Triangle partners and Mexico.
According to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, they tried to reach out to President Biden, but the top official allegedly ignored them.
"If the president won't meet us then we'll share our policy ideas today. Hopefully, he will hear our solutions and begin to act," Ducey stressed.
Aside from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, governors from other states such as Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia, Montana, and Nebraska were also present in the press conference.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
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