Abbott challenges Harris to endorse immigration legislation during border visit

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) challenged Vice President Kamala Harris to endorse an illegal immigration bill during her visit to Texas this week, arguing she has “a chance of redemption.”

The bill, titled the Justice for Jocelyn Act , was introduced earlier this month by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) and would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep illegal immigrants in detention instead of releasing them into the country. The bill is named after Jocelyn Nungaray , a 12-year-old Texas resident who was raped and killed last month, with the two suspects in her death being illegal immigrants.

“If she refuses to do it, it’s a signal to America she is not taking her job serious as potential president of the United States that she would continue to release, catch and release, into the United States dangerous criminals, and this is a tell to Americans when they go cast their vote, is Kamala up to the duty of detaining illegal immigrants who cross the border, who pose an imminent danger to our fellow Americans?” Abbott said on Fox News’s The Faulkner Focus.

Cruz and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, a Democrat, explained that politicians need to put their differences aside to create “practical solutions.” The two added that they are working together “to protect our kids from predators, including those who enter the country illegally.”

Abbott also revealed that he has spoken to Harris “zero times” about border security despite Harris being given the title “border czar” in 2021. He has instead spoken to President Joe Biden and has tried to direct the president to laws that allow him to secure the border.

The Texas governor then argued that neither Harris nor Biden have ever visited portions of the border that are experiencing the most strain on illegal crossings. He added that the chance of the U.S. experiencing another terrorist attack on the level of Sept. 11 has gone up drastically due to Harris’s handling of the border and that such an attack would be “on the hands of Kamala Harris.”

Harris will be visiting Houston on Thursday to attend the celebration of life service for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), who died earlier this month following a cancer diagnosis.

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Last week, the House of Representatives voted 220-196 in favor of a resolution condemning the Biden administration and specifically Harris as its “border czar” over their “failure to secure the southern border.” The bill, which is largely a messaging bill, saw six Democrats join all Republicans in backing it.

During the Republican National Convention earlier this month, which saw the Republican Party nominate former President Donald Trump as its 2024 presidential candidate, Abbott stated he sees “hope on the horizon” with Trump potentially winning the election this November.