Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday that he would hire any Border Patrol agent punished by the Biden administration over the controversy involving mounted agents and Haitian migrants last week.
Biden promised on Friday that mounted Border Patrol agents “will pay” over the debunked claim that agents used whips, ropes, or lassos to abuse Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas.
Biden’s comment came after the photographer who snapped the infamous images of the mounted Border Patrol agents spoke out, saying he did not witness what Democrats and the media claimed.
What did Abbott say?
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Abbott promised to hire any Border Patrol agent punished by the Biden administration.
“What the president said — going after the Border Patrol, who were risking their lives and working so hard to try to secure the border — if he takes any action against them whatsoever, I have worked side by side with those Border Patrol agents,” Abbott began. “I want them to know something: iIf they are at risk of losing their job at a president who is abandoning his duty to secure the border, you have a job in the state of Texas.”
“I will hire you to help Texas secure our border,” the Republican governor promised.
Abbott, who characterized Biden as having “scapegoated” the Border Patrol, said Border Patrol agents would not have been in that position “had the Biden administration enforced the immigration laws and secured the border.”
The Texas governor claimed Border Patrol agents told him the flood of migrants into Del Rio only stopped after he took action, which he said was necessary because the Biden administration has abdicated their constitutional responsibilities.
“Because the Biden administration is refusing to do its duty to enforce the laws of the United States, they have left Texas in no position other than for us to step up and do what we have to do,” Abbott said.
“You know, you mentioned the people in Del Rio and the way that Del Rio was overrun by a population about the same size of Del Rio that have been coming across the border illegally. As governor, I’m not gonna let that happen,” he continued. “I am going to step up and do whatever I have to do to make sure that I protect the people of Del Rio, as well as all these other communities in the state of Texas that the Biden administration is ignoring.”
“The people in South Texas, they are angry about the Biden administration for ignoring them, for abetting them,” Abbott said. “The Biden administration cares far more about people who are not in this country than he does of the people— American citizens who live in this country.”
Furious Border Patrol agents spoke out against Biden after his Friday remarks. One agent told Fox News that Biden “just started a war with Border Patrol.”
“I see the administration wants to fry our agents,” that agent said.