(NewsNation) — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is calling on his governor to stop fighting with the federal government and instead coordinate on efforts to reduce illegal immigration.
“Does a state play a role on immigration? Absolutely, but they’ve got to coordinate and communicate with the Border Patrol,” Cuellar said Thursday on “The Hill on NewsNation.”
His comments were in response to Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, who said the battle “is not over” following the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border while a lawsuit over the wire continues.
Texas sued the federal government after Border Patrol agents began cutting down the wire, and the justices sided with the Biden administration.
“To say we’re going to ignore the Supreme Court and move forward … it doesn’t work that way,” Cuellar said. “A state can play a role, but not to play ‘Lone Ranger’ politics.”
Cuellar just returned from a trip to Mexico City, where he and other members of Congress met with top Mexican officials about what they are doing to control the flow of migrants across the border.
“I think they are now understanding that this migration issue affects Mexico the way it affects us,” he said of the meetings. “They’re doing their part, but I think we can work with them and address this issue together.”