White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s measures along the border, targeting illegal immigrants who enter the state, are not only “extreme,” but also “dehumanize” immigrants, putting them in “harm’s way.”
On Monday, the governor signed a new law giving police the authority to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally, saying the bill was to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.”
After being taken into custody, migrants could either agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the U.S. or face prosecution on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry.
Migrants who do not comply could face arrest again under more serious felony charges.
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Abbott has repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for not doing enough to address the border crisis. The governor has directed more than 65,000 migrants to be bussed to cities across America, while also installing razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre told reporters Abbott’s “extreme law” will not and does not make communities in Texas safer. Instead, she added, the law is “very much in line” with what Republicans do, which is “demonize” and “dehumanize” immigrants.
“This is not who we should be as a country,” Jean-Pierre said. “This is something that Governor Abbott has done over and over again. There are plenty of examples that I’ve listed from here before.”
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She said Abbott’s measures have included leaving migrants on the side of the road in the middle of winter, installing razor wire near the border, and placing buoys in the Rio Grande, making it harder for border agents to do their jobs.
“So, this is certainly extreme as we see it, and it is incredibly unfortunate,” Jean-Pierre said. “But this is what we see from particular Republicans trying to dehumanize a group of people who are coming here or some of them trying to migrate here. And they’re putting them in harm’s way.”
Abbott’s law will likely face legal challenges because immigration enforcement falls under federal responsibility.
It’s also been called the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since 2010, when an Arizona law, dubbed by critics as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill, was struck down by te U.S. Supreme Court.
Jean-Pierre was asked by a reporter on Tuesday if President Biden supported the government taking legal action against Texas, as the ACLU has already filed a lawsuit.
“The Department of Justice, they’re going to decide whether they’re going to file a lawsuit here,” Jean-Pierre said. “Certainly, I’m not going to get ahead of that.”
She continued, saying the federal court is in charge of determining how and when to remove non-citizens for violating immigration policies.
“That is where that sits and that’s where that belongs,” Jean Pierre added.
Bradford Betz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
