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Topline
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace questioned Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) about his emergence as a leading critic of the Biden administration’s border response, highlighting that he did not speak out when similar issues emerged during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Chris Wallace moderating the first presidential debate between U.S. Donald Trump and Joe Biden in … [+]
Key Facts
During the Fox News Sunday interview, Wallace specifically pointed to a press conference held by the Texas Republican earlier this week in which he sounded the alarm about reports of sexual assault at a San Antonio facility holding more than 1,300 migrant children.
Abbott blasted the facility as a “health and safety nightmare” at the Wednesday evening press conference, accusing the Biden administration of “presiding over the abuse of children.”
“Governor, there were thousands of complaints of sexual abuse at migrant shelters during the Trump years,” Wallace said during his interview with Abbott, highlighting that his team could not find “one instance of you complaining and calling that out.”
Abbott defended himself saying there “are multiple differences” between the two administrations that have caused him to react this way—one being better communication from the Trump administration.
The governor also said it’s because these reports were filed with state agencies (the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of Protective and Child Services) that he is taking an interest.
Chief Critic
Even as they support his demand for greater oversight at migrant shelters, advocacy groups are accusing Abbott of acting hypocritically. “The only reason why Abbott is now acting like he cares about the children in these facilities is for political reasons,” Jonathan Ryan, the CEO of Raices, a non-profit that provides legal services to immigrants, said in a statement.
Key Background
The Biden administration has been struggling to combat a massive surge of unaccompanied migrant children at the border. In March, the U.S. reported a new record of 19,000 unaccompanied children stopped in a single month. Republicans, including Abbott, have been quick to seize on the unfolding struggle at the border to blast the new administration, despite having remained largely silent about Trump’s immigration policies. Abbott, who was in office throughout Trump’s tenure, declared an uptick in migrants at the border a “humanitarian crisis” in mid-March, and has since echoed that message through frequent appearances on televised news shows.
Further Reading
“U.S. Stopped Nearly 19,000 Migrant Children At Border In March, The Most Ever In A Single Month” (Forbes)
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