Texas Governor Seeks Probe of NGOs for Alleged “Illegal Border Crossing” Assistance

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called on the attorney general to open an investigation into non-government organizations or NGOs who may have assisted in migrant border crossings into the state. The move comes after record-setting large group crossings around El Paso over the weekend.

“There have been recent reports that non-governmental organizations may have assisted with illegal border crossings near El Paso,” Governor Abbott wrote in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “We further understand NGOs may be engaged in unlawfully orchestrating other border crossings through activities on both sides of the border, including in sectors other than El Paso. In light of these reports, I am calling on the Texas Attorney General’s Office to initiate an investigation into the role of NGOs in planning and facilitating the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants across our borders.”

The governor’s call comes as the expected end of the Title 42 coronavirus protection protocol looms next week. In advance of the program’s ending, groups of more than 2,400 migrants per day crossed over the past weekend, Breitbart Texas reported. One of those groups consisted of more than 1,000 who crossed overnight on Sunday.

In addition to the crossings into El Paso, more than 11,000 crossed into the Del Rio Sector during the past week. Another 3,200 migrants got away without being apprehended.

The governor alleges that NGOs may have a role “in planning and assisting illegal border crossings into Texas.”

“The end of Title 42 in the coming weeks is expected to cause a dramatic increase in the number of illegal immigrants crossing America’s southern border beyond the all-time high levels currently reported,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

One NGO, the Border Network for Human Rights, responded to the governor’s call for an investigation calling it a personal attack on El Paso, an abuse of power, and a “racist distortion of what’s happening on the border,” El Paso Matters reported.

“What is very concerning is that now by the statement itself, he’s attempting to criminalize not just immigrants, but humanitarian work in Texas,” Director Fernando Garcia told the local news outlet.

Governor Abbott’s letter to the attorney general continues:

Although the burden to address the ongoing border crisis should not fall to Texas, the federal government has failed to take action to address this problem. I appreciate the lawsuits your office has pursued to hold President Biden accountable for abdicating his responsibility to enforce our immigration laws. I have also taken unprecedented action by launching Operation Lone Star and engaging the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to secure our border.

…

In light of these reports, I am calling on the Texas Attorney General’s Office to initiate an investigation into the role of NGOs in planning and facilitating the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants across our borders. In addition, I stand ready to work with you to craft any sensible legislative solutions your office may propose that are aimed at solving the ongoing border crisis and the role that NGOs may play in encouraging it.

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