Texas GOP lawmakers urge DOJ to forgo lawsuit against Lone Star State: ‘Texas should not be punished’

FIRST ON FOX: Several members of the Texas Republican congressional delegation are calling on the Justice Department to forgo its current lawsuit against the Lone Star State, saying the Biden administration has “failed Texans and the American people with their open-border policies.”

In a letter slated to be despatched to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, greater than a dozen House Republicans from Texas known as out the Biden administration for its incapability to safe the southern border whereas concurrently focusing on those that try to accomplish that.

“We write to you with grave concern regarding the ongoing legal challenges being faced by the State of Texas in relation to Senate Bill 4 (SB4) passed on November 21, 2023, which grants the State of Texas the authority to arrest individuals who illegally crossed the border from Mexico,” the lawmakers, led by Texas GOP Rep. Roger Williams, wrote within the letter.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas over SB4, pitting Republican Gov. Greg Abbott against the Biden administration as each stay at odds over how to deal with the escalating disaster on the southern border.

TEXAS SLAMS BIDEN ADMIN, PROMISES TOUGH BORDER MEASURES AFTER SCOTUS RAZOR WIRE RULING

Immigrants wait to be processed at a U.S. Border Patrol transit middle after they crossed the border from Mexico on December 20, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The lawsuit, filed in an Austin federal courtroom, got here after Abbott signed into legislation final month a measure difficult the federal authorities’s authority over immigration issues. In addition to Biden, a number of blue cities like New York and Chicago have pushed again against Abbott for having hundreds of migrants bussed from his state to their jurisdictions.

Pointing to a passage within the swimsuit against their residence state — one wherein the DOJ famous “the Constitution assigns the federal government the authority to regulate immigration and manage our international borders” — the Republican lawmakers insisted the Biden administration and Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas “have repeatedly refused to enforce our immigration laws and stop the flow of illegal migrants into our country.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent watches over greater than 2,000 migrants at a discipline processing middle on December 18, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“Since President Biden took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has documented more than 6.7 million illegal border crossings; with an additional 1.7 million logged as ‘got-aways.’ This Administration’s open-border policies have failed the American people and turned every state into a border state,” the House Republicans stated. “The record high levels of illegal migration have taken a toll on Texans throughout the state, prompting Governor Abbott to take action where the Biden Administration has not.”

The lawmakers stated the DOJ’s declare that SB4 is unconstitutional “neglects the fact that the Texas law simply follows current federal immigration law which already makes it a crime to cross into the U.S. illegally.”

Highlighting their help for Abbott, in addition to different state officers who’re wanting to cut back the variety of unlawful border crossings, the lawmakers stated the Biden administration’s insurance policies have “enticed migrants to continue to cross.”

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of failing to handle points on the border amid document numbers of migrants crossing into the United States. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“Texas has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its residents and must be allowed to act in a manner that is consistent with that goal,” they wrote. “President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have failed Texans and the American people with their open-border policies. Texas should not be punished for this Administration’s refusal to enforce our current immigration laws.”

“We urge that you reconsider your lawsuit and allow the state of Texas to act as necessary to secure the safety of its residents,” the Texas Republicans concluded.

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT RECORD 302K IN DECEMBER, SOURCES SAY

Under the Texas legislation, migrants might both agree to a decide’s order to go away the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor fees of unlawful entry. Those who do not go away might face critical felony fees if arrested once more. Those ordered to go away would be despatched to ports of entry alongside the border with Mexico, even when they’re not Mexican residents. The legislation can be enforced anyplace in Texas, however some locations are off-limits, together with faculties and church buildings.

“Against all odds, Texas, and Texans, have stepped up within the battle to safe our border,” Williams stated in a press release to Fox News Digital. “If President Biden is not going to take responsibility for the invasion of our country, Texas must be allowed to protect itself without fear of retaliation. I, along with the members of the Texas Delegation, ask that the DOJ reconsider its harmful suit, but most importantly, it’s past time they do their job and secure our border.”

“If President Biden is not going to take responsibility for the invasion of our country, Texas must be allowed to protect itself without fear of retaliation,” Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, instructed Fox News Digital. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc through Getty Images)

As of publishing time, 15 Republicans had signed the letter anticipated to be despatched to Garland on Wednesday night. Those who’ve signed the letter embody: Texas GOP Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Keith Self, Pat Fallon, Lance Gooden, Jake Ellzey, Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul, Ronny Jackson, Monica De La Cruz, Pete Sessions, Chip Roy, Beth Van Duyne, Michael Burgess, John Carter, and Brian Babin.

Abbott has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of failing to handle points on the border amid document numbers of migrants crossing into the United States. The bussing program has angered Democrats in blue cities, who say their jurisdictions lack ample assets to take care of migrants they’ve obtained.

Following a Monday ruling by the Supreme Court that gave Border Patrol brokers the power to lower or filter out razor wire that Texas had positioned alongside the banks of the Rio Grande to deter migrants from coming into the U.S. illegally, Texas officers vowed to preserve strict border safety measures.

Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety stated the state, underneath Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, “will maintain its current posture in deterring illegal border crossings by utilizing effective border security measures.”

That consists of, Olivarez stated within the put up to X, bolstered razor wire and anti-climb obstacles alongside the Rio Grande.

Razor wire is seen on the banks of the Rio Grande river at Shelby Park on January 12, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Sources with Customs and Border Protection instructed Fox News Digital earlier this month that migrant encounters hit a staggering 300,000 incidents in December 2023, reaching a stage thought unimaginable simply years in the past.

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Between Dec. 1 and December 31, greater than 302,000 migrants had been documented trying to cross the U.S. southern border. It is the best whole for a single month ever recorded. It can also be the primary time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.