Governor Abbott meets with Speaker Johnson to advocate for action on the border

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a meeting with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the governor’s mansion in Austin. During the meeting, the governor urged his fellow Republican to support the fight against President Joe Biden’s border policies.

Abbott stated, “We discussed the disastrous impact President Biden’s border crisis has had on Texas and America and the need for action by the federal government to secure the border,” in a post on X.

The meeting took place amidst an ongoing impasse on Capitol Hill between House and Senate Republicans and the White House, with border security being attached to foreign aid bills.

In response to this, Abbott has implemented comprehensive border security efforts through Operation Lone Star, including deploying Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers, installing razor wire, and building the Texas border wall, as stated in a release by Abbott’s office.

Recent data from Customs Border Patrol showed decreases in illegal immigration at all five of Texas’ border control regions between October and February, with the most significant drops at Big Bend (65% decrease) and El Paso (47%).

However, Abbott is seeking federal action and urged Speaker Johnson to pass border security legislation to stop illegal crossings along the southern border.

Meanwhile, Johnson has called on Biden to take executive action on the border, a move Biden claims requires power from Congress, despite overturning all policies implemented by former President Donald Trump upon taking office.

The release concluded with Abbott imploring Speaker Johnson to support Texas’ fight against President Biden’s attacks on the state’s historic border mission and his failure to secure the border.