Mayorkas takes aim at Abbott over southern border: ‘He couldn’t be more wrong’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took aim at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) recent comments suggesting President Biden does not need legislation to enforce new polices at the border.

“Couldn’t be more wrong, couldn’t be more wrong. And as a matter of fact, former President Trump tried to close the border, and it was enjoined in the courts and never saw the light of day,” Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“This coming from an individual who is purposefully refusing to coordinate, communicate, collaborate with other officials and trying to wreak havoc in other cities and states across the country. That is not a model of governance, and he couldn’t be more wrong,” he added.

Mayorkas joined Biden during a trip to the border in Texas this week, at the same time Abbott joined President Trump on a visit to another part of the state’s border. Each 2024 candidate made a pitch of how they would fix migrant issues if reelected to the White House.

CNN co-anchor Dana Bash had asked Mayorkas to respond to comments made by Abbott on last week’s “State of the Union,” when he accused Biden of “not using his executive authority to do any of those things that Congress has already authorized,” adding he “does not need new laws.”

“The president needs a backbone to make sure that he enforces the immigration laws that are already on the books,” Abbott said last week.

Some Republicans, including Trump, claimed Biden does not need new legislation to take action on the border as the Senate put forward a bipartisan deal with new provisions on national security and asylum. The deal fell apart in the Senate after some Republicans said the legislation did not do enough to address the border.

Mayorkas also called on Congress to pass the bipartisan deal put forward by the Senate last month.

“The reality is that Congress needs to act, and President Biden said that Congress needs to get a spine,” he added.