After sparring statements regarding a new executive order, the Biden Justice Department, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, officially sued the state of Texas.
Last week Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order (also known as GA -37) attempting to restrict the transportation of migrants within the state. The executive order was immediately blasted by organizations like the ACLU of Texas as being a “show me your papers” law. The ACLU of Texas referred to GA-37 as an “unconstitutional effort to terrorize border communities and distract from the governor’s leadership failures.”
Garland called on Abbott to rescind the order or face a lawsuit. Abbott responded with misleading and false statements about the spread of COVID-19 from migrants at the border. Public health experts have been adamant that the rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state is a direct result from low vaccination rates. Since February, 99.5 percent of COVID-19 deaths were from the unvaccinated.
After the Department of Justice filed their suit against GA-37, Abbott released another statement. “To be clear, the Biden Administration is knowingly importing COVID-19 into Texas from across the border and knowingly exposing Texans and Americans to that disease,” wrote Abbott. “While the Biden Administration is openly pondering looming shutdowns and mandates on U.S. citizens to control the spread of COVID-19, at the same time the Administration is knowingly worsening the problem by importing COVID-19 at extreme rates.”
Even though many areas in Texas are experiencing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, Abbott has refused to allow local entities to implement any mitigation efforts, including mask mandates. He even issued another executive order further stating jurisdictions or ISDs have no authority to mandate safety measures even if hospitals were to reach capacity.
Tragically, Texas officially passed New York in the number of COVID-19 deaths. Since the pandemic began last year, over 53,275 Texans have passed away from COVID-19.
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
