Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) accused the Biden administration of aiding Mexican drug cartels this week, shortly after it was revealed that more migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in December than any month in American history. The accusation also comes as many conservatives criticized the White House for what they call effectively opening the southern border.
The attorney general said that the White House has been “aiding and abetting the cartels, encouraging the cartels to make billions of dollars and to bring as many people here as fast as possible, and as soon as possible.”
He said that the administration was “not doing their job, they’re actually encouraging the opposite.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Sunday that the immigration policies of the Biden administration and the Department of Justice are "aiding and abetting" cartels in the record surge of illegal entries at the southern border. https://t.co/S8Vxio8ZPa
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 31, 2023
Paxton referenced the large caravan heading toward the southern border through Mexico. Overall, there are about 15,000 people in the wide-reaching human train.
December 2023 broke the record number of migrant encounters reported by federal law enforcement. At least 276,000 migrants crossed the border in that month, even prior to the end of December’s end. This broke the previous record set in September 2023.
Paxton’s comments came amid a large wave of migrants attempting to cross the southern border. Migration increased significantly after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, but accelerated earlier this year after the Biden administration announced the end of former President Donald Trump’s Title 42 asylum policy.
Texas has attempted to stem the tide of the crossings, including putting up a floating barrier in the Rio Grande. The state also used police and National Guard resources to try to counter human trafficking and the drug trade.
Furthermore, the Texas legislature recently passed a law making it a state crime to illegally crossing into the state. The Biden administration announced that it would challenge the law in court should it be enforced next year.
The attorney general also responded to the threat from the administration, saying that the state “merely want[s] to protect our own citizens from the crime and the cost of illegal immigration, when it’s really their job to do it.”
