Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn told Newsmax Friday that while blue states and cities are finally realizing the problems that accompany the illegal migrant crisis, the border states have been "bearing the burden" of President Joe Biden's failed policies.
"We're beginning to hear from people like Mayor [Eric] Adams in New York, the governor of Illinois, the governor of New York, and others. Blue states that are saying, We can't handle this," Cornyn said during "Rob Schmitt Tonight" Friday.
"My state, which is right there on the 1,200-mile border, has been bearing the burden of this for the for the rest of the country. The federal government won't help, so ... we've had to help ourselves, and I applaud Gov. [Greg] Abbott for the efforts undertaken."
As more than 7 million illegal migrants were encountered crossing the border since Biden took office in January 2021, according to numbers released by Customs and Border Protection, Abbott and the governors of other border states including Arizona and Florida have started shipping the migrants to Democrat-run states and cities, including New York and Chicago, that declared themselves sanctuaries.
The Texas Operation Lone Star program started in March of 2021 to deal with the surge of illegal migrants, using the state's National Guard and Department of Public Safety to conduct various operations to mitigate the influx, according to the state.
Abbott's emergency declaration in May 2021 directed Texas DPS to "use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking, and to assist Texas counties in their efforts to address those criminal activities."
The increase in illegal migrants to those cities, however, has led to a backlash from the residents, angered by the amount of local resources the migrants consume when they arrive.
"Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to — I don't see an ending to this," The New York Times reported Adams saying during September remarks at a town hall-style gathering in Manhattan. "This issue will destroy New York City."
According to the report, Adams estimated the migrants could cost the city around $12 billion in the next three years.
Cornyn said that the federal government is not helping the situation with its policies but is making things harder instead.
"Not only are they not doing their job, they're making our job harder to do when we try to fill the gap," he said. "I don't know what it's going to take before the Biden administration wakes up to this problem."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Charles Kim ✉
Charles Kim, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years in reporting on news and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.