Governor Abbott asks for federal border action ahead of polar vortex

AUSTIN, Texas (KOSA) - Governor Greg Abbott asked President Joe Biden Tuesday to immediately deploy federal assets to address the border crisis, particularly in the City of El Paso, as a dangerously cold polar vortex moves into Texas this week.

“This terrible crisis for border communities in Texas is a catastrophe of your own making,” reads the letter. “These communities and the state are ill-equipped to do the job assigned to the federal government—house the thousands of migrants flooding into the country every day. With perilous temperatures moving into the area, many of these migrants are at risk of freezing to death on city streets. The need to address this crisis is not the job of border states like Texas. Instead, the U.S. Constitution dictates that it is your job, Mr. President, to defend the borders of our country, regulate our nation’s immigration, and manage those who seek refuge here.”

Governor Abbott will continue working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Texas Military Department, and all other available state assets to work to protect the Texas border.

Read Governor Abbott’s letter to President Biden.