Gov. Abbott Slams Biden Over Minors at the Border: Administration ‘Made it Clear’ that Unaccompanied Children ‘Will be Allowed’ in

‘We need to engage now more than ever before, with regard to the human trafficking component’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) slammed President Joe Biden on Wednesday over the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing over his state’s border with Mexico.

“The policies that have been adopted by the administration … have escalated the number of children coming across the border,” Abbott said at a press conference. “The Biden administration has made it clear, if you are an unaccompanied child, you will be able to come into the United States.”

The Texas governor made the remarks at an event in Dallas, where he was joined by Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw. Abbott said the state was expanding Operation Lone Star, an initiative aimed at cracking down on human trafficking.

Customs and Border Protection reported stopping more than 9,400 unaccompanied minors on the border in February alone, a 61 percent increase compared to January and the greatest number since the first half of 2019.

Republicans have sought to make the issue a problem for Biden. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) led a congressional delegation to border facilities in El Paso, Texas this week, while Republican Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn announced on Tuesday they would lead a group of senators to the border next week.

“We need to engage now more than ever before, with regard to the human trafficking component,” Abbott added. “To be clear, my expectation is that today, the Biden administration will step up to do its job to address the human trafficking component to this.”

(h/t Mediaite)

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