White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dismissed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s recently announced plan to put illegal immigrants in his state onto a bus and send them to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
“I think it’s pretty clear that this is a publicity stunt,” Psaki told Fox News’ Peter Doocy in the White House press room on Thursday. “I know that the governor of Texas, or any state, does not have the legal authority to compel anyone to get on a bus.”
Psaki continued, “His own office admits that a migrant would need to voluntarily be transported and he can’t compel them to because, again, enforcement of our country’s immigration laws lies with the federal government and not a state.”
Abbott said Wednesday that illegal immigrants released into his state will be shipped to the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as border checkpoints struggle to manage the flow of people attempting to enter the United States and the Biden administration’s move to eliminate the Title 42 expulsion provision.
