Biden administration sues Texas over Gov. Abbott order restricting migrant transport

The Biden administration sued Texas Friday in an effort to block an executive order allowing state troopers to stop vehicles suspected of carrying illegal immigrants on the grounds that they may be spreading COVID-19.

The lawsuit follows a letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland warning Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that the order, which the governor issued Wednesday, was both “dangerous” and “contrary to federal law.” The government’s legal filing argued that the order could obstruct federal immigration operations, including migrant transport.

Under Abbott’s order, the Texas Department of Public Safety can stop any private vehicle “upon reasonable suspicion” that it is carrying illegal immigrants. If the suspicion is confirmed, troopers could then reroute vehicles back to their point of origin or impound them.

In response to the lawsuit, Abbott claimed in a statement Friday that the Biden administration “has created a constitutional crisis between the federal government and the State of Texas” by “knowingly import[ing] COVID-19 into Texas from across the border—willfully exposing Texans and Americans alike.”

“President Biden has a duty and a responsibility to protect and uphold our nation’s sovereignty, yet he has long-since abdicated his authority to do so,” Abbott added. “As the Governor of Texas, I have a responsibility to protect the people of Texas—a respon... (Read more)

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