Federal government threatens to challenge Abbott order against immigrants in Texas

Austin A new order from Gov. Greg Abbott allowing Texas cops to stop vehicles carrying immigrants on the grounds that they could increase the spread of Covid-19 quickly came under fire Thursday and the Justice Department threatened to challenge it.

Attorney General Merrick Garland asked Abbott to withdraw the order immediately, a day after it was issued by the Republican governor, who will seek reelection in 2022 and has spent months trying to vindicate former President Donald Trump’s hard line on immigration.

Garland’s letter is among the strongest reactions to date in President Joe Biden’s administration to Abbott’s actions on the U.S. border with Mexico, which have also included jailing immigrants on state crime charges and building new fences along the Rio Grande. Civil rights groups and immigrant activists have criticized Abbott’s most recent order to reduce border crossings, noting that it could encourage racial discrimination and restrict the ability of shelters to receive families new to the United States.

“The order is dangerous and illegal,” Garland wrote.

The secretary said Texas “has no authority to interfere” with the government’s broad immigration powers, and raised the possibility of suing if the order is not withdrawn.

Announcing the measure Wednesday, Abbott said that “we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities.” The order allows the Texas Department of Public Safety to “stop any vehicle on reasonable suspicion” that it is providing ground transportation to a group of immigrants. Then the police could force the vehicles back the way they came or impound them.

Abbot downplayed Garland’s letter in a statement blaming the Biden government for the high levels of immigrant arrivals at the southern border.

“The Biden administration is putting the health and safety of Texans at risk on a daily basis by refusing to comply with the law,” he said.

This is not the first time during the pandemic that Abbott has focused on immigrants and the spread of the coronavirus at a time of strong concerns about the disease. In March he raised similar concerns about immigrants, without providing evidence that they were causing a spike in COVID-19 infections, and at a time when he was facing criticism from public health officials for withdrawing an order to wear face masks throughout. the state.

Now Abbott is once again facing calls to impose new measures to combat the coronavirus, whose delta variant is exacerbating infections. But he says he will not order new confinements or reimpose the use of masks.

“Attributing the current coronavirus spike to immigrants in his executive order is a blatant attempt to absolve his ineffective leadership, which ultimately led to the unnecessary loss of lives of our fellow Texans,” said Democratic State Representative Rafael Anchia.

Large numbers of immigrants have been arriving at the US-Mexico border, and many of them are turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents with the intention of seeking asylum. US authorities reported this month that they had detained 55,805 family members with children in June, a 25% increase from last month. That number is still well below the peak of 88,587 recorded in May 2019.

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