Biden Administration Threatens to Sue If Texas Governor Closes Migrant Detention Centers
District of Columbia, Texas | June 9, 2021
The Biden administration threatened to sue Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott if the state follows through with plans to stop working with the federal government to detain migrant minors, according to a letter from federal officials Monday.
Abbott issued a disaster declaration on May 31 that ordered all facilities operating on federal contracts to house migrants who entered the country illegally to close. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Abbott’s declaration illegally discriminates against the federal government’s 52 state-licensed facilities operating in Texas to house unaccompanied migrant minors.
“The May 31 Proclamation discriminates against the Federal government by targeting the licenses held only by those entities providing shelter to ‘unlawful immigrants or other individuals not lawfully present in the United States under a contract with the federal government,’” according to HHS.
HHS asked Abbott to notify the agency by Friday if the state plans to enforce the disaster proclamation and whether they would grant an exception to allow the facilities to operate at the same standards as other non-governmental child care facilities in the state, according to the letter….
(Excerpts from the Virginia Star)