Abbott: The Lawsuit Is Not About Immigration; It’s About Abuse of Executive Power

TODD: "I want to play for you a clip that you've heard from a previous governor of Texas and what he has said about immigration. Here it is."
[clip starts]
BUSH: "I want to remind people that family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River. People are coming to our country to do jobs that Americans won't do to be able to feed their families. And I think there's a humane way to recognize that and at the same time protect our borders and at the same way to make sure that we don't disadvantage those who have stood in line for years to become a legal citizen."
[clip ends]
TODD: "Do you agree with that statement?"
ABBOTT: "Well, in a way I understand this even more powerfully [because my wife is going to be the first Hispanic first lady in the history of Texas. And Texas has had a long tradition of uniting the Hispanic culture with Texas values.] But remember this, there is a reason why people come from across the world to the United States and that is because of the power of what the Constitution has enabled this country to be. It's the Constitution itself that is under assault by the president of the United States by this executive order. Chuck, what we are doing is this issue and this lawsuit is not about immigration. The issue in this lawsuit is about abuse of executive power. And if this abuse is not stopped it will erode the constitution that has attracted so many people to this country for generations."
TODD: "Let me ask a basic question, though. Illegal immigration. Good for bad for the state of Texas? Bottom line."
ABBOTT: "Legal immigration is great for the United States of America. Any illegal activity is not good anywhere."
TODD: "And yet it's been good for the Texas economy. Right?"
ABBOTT: "Legal immigration has been great for America. And if bringing more immigrants here is the appropriate thing to do then what Congress needs to do and what the president needs to do is to figure out a way to improve our immigration system. In fact Americans are tired of both Congress and the president failing to act. It is time for Washington, D.C. to stop talking about this and take action. And that begins with securing our borders."
TODD: "And let me ask you that on securing the border. Define that. Can you give me a metric that says, "Border's secure.'"
ABBOTT: "Sure. I've been involved in these border surge operations where we see people crossing the border. Securing the border means ensuring that you don't have people who are crossing the border illegally. And that is through modern technology, through the technology that we are deploying right now, you can have monitors and cameras and see whether or not people are crossing the border. You want to see that grow to zero."