Biden FEMA Rejects Texas Governor’s Appeal for Emergency Aid Over Border Surge

The White House rejected Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s petition that the national authorities reimburse the authorities for millions of dollars connected the borderline crisis, according to a missive sent to his office.

“After a thorough reappraisal of each the accusation contained successful your archetypal petition and appeal, we reaffirm our archetypal findings that supplemental national assistance nether the Stafford Act is not warranted for this event. Therefore, I indispensable pass you that your entreaty for an exigency declaration is denied,” Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told Abbott’s bureau successful a letter dated Sunday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, successful effect to the letter, criticized the Biden administration.

Biden, the Republican authoritative argued, “created the situation connected our confederate borderline and present they garbage to wage for the endless and ongoing damage,” adding that “Texans should not person to ft this bill.”

Abbott had asked FEMA to reconsider a denial to o.k. a petition for an exigency declaration, which would past escaped up national funds. The Republican politician archetypal asked the Biden medication for assistance successful a missive (pdf) connected Sept. 20 and sent a consequent missive connected Oct. 7, again asking for aid.

Immigration is solely wrong the purview of the national Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Later successful October, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued a associated missive to President Joe Biden asking him for much national assistance.

“State and section communities successful Texas carnivore nonstop and indirect costs of the expanding measurement of amerciable migration on the southwest border,” they wrote, “and national assistance is indispensable to further support the lives, property, nationalist health, and information of the communities on the border.”

Biden’s caller denial of Abbott’s petition comes arsenic the CBP released information connected Oct. 22 showing that Border Patrol agents apprehended a record-breaking total of 1,666,167 amerciable immigrants on the southwestern borderline successful the fiscal twelvemonth 2021.

The fig of amerciable crossings has dramatically accrued since Biden took bureau and aft helium dismantled galore of President Donald Trump’s borderline information initiatives, including stopping borderline partition operation and stopping the “Remain successful Mexico” programme successful January.

Amid the surge, Biden has received important disapproval from Republicans and immoderate Democrats whose districts prevarication on the U.S.–Mexico border.

A time earlier the CBP study was released, Biden was asked by Anderson Cooper during a CNN interrogation astir whether helium is readying to sojourn the border. Vice President Kamala Harris visited El Paso, Texas, successful June.

“I conjecture I should spell down. But the—but the full constituent of it is: I haven’t had a full hellhole of a batch of clip to get down,” Biden said connected Oct. 21.