House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) met Thursday to discuss border security legislation.
“During the meeting, Governor Abbott told Speaker Johnson that the border crisis is both unacceptable and avoidable, urging the Speaker to pass border security legislation that will help stop illegal crossings between ports of entry along the southern border,” a Thursday press release from Abbott’s office reads.
The meeting follows a federal appeals court ruling Tuesday that extended the block on a Texas immigration law that would let local law enforcement arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. The law criminalizes crossing into the Lone Star State outside of a port of entry, making it punishable by up to six months in jail, or, with subsequent crossings, a maximum of 20 years.
“Additionally, Governor Abbott touted the success of Texas’ comprehensive border security efforts through Operation Lone Star, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, installing razor wire, and building the Texas border wall,” Abbott’s release said.
“The Governor also implored Speaker Johnson to support the state’s ongoing fight against President Biden’s attacks on Texas’ historic border mission and his refusal to secure the border,” the release continued.
Earlier this month, Abbott said there was nothing Biden could say in his State of the Union address to undo the damage done by his border policies.
“The fact of the matter is, when Biden became president, and today, there are three laws passed by Congress already, that empower the president to deny illegal entry, which he’s not doing, he’s aiding [and] abetting illegal entry,” Abbott said in an interview on Fox News’s “Special Report” with anchor Bret Baier.
The Hill has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.