Abbott touts bipartisan law enforcement support at Corpus Christi event with border sheriffs

Flanked by about two dozen border county sheriffs from both parties and other law enforcement officers in Corpus Christi, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday stepped up his criticism of the Democratic Biden administration's immigration policies that he said are allowing millions of people to cross into the United States illegally.

"Nobody in Washington has a clue about what's going on at the border," Abbott, a Republican seeking a third term in the Nov. 8 election, said during a campaign event at the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center.

The event showcased one of the governor's top campaign themes as the race between him and Democrat Beto O'Rourke heads toward the wire. Early voting starts Monday. Abbott did not mention his opponent by name or by inference. Instead, he focused his remarks on Biden, who after taking office in January 2021 has rolled back many of the hardline immigration policies pushed by former President Donald Trump.

"It was just two and a half years ago that we had the fewest illegal border crossings in decades," Abbott said. "Under President Biden, we, this past fiscal year, had the most illegal border crossings ever. More than 2.2 million people have come across the border."

Dovetailing into his border message was his continued warning of the dangers of the synthetic opioid fentanyl that is also crossing the border illegally and, according to Abbott, is the nation's No. 1 killer of people between 18 and 45.

"It's not COVID or cancer or car wrecks or anything like that," Abbott said.

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The Biden administration has disputed Abbott's claim that little is being done at the federal level to tackle the fentanyl crisis. In September, the White House announced an international effort to disrupt the illegal importation of the drug, and a $1.5 billion initiative to help states battle opioid use.

"Working with the U.S., foreign partners, and industries, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will use sanctions to target the global fentanyl supply chain, particularly in Mexico, to disrupt the illicit production of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which continue to drive overdose deaths," the White House said in a statement.

Nueces County Sheriff J.C. Hooper, a Republican, said the federal efforts on illegal immigration and fentanyl are insufficient. He said that in 2020, the number of annual fentanyl deaths in his county was two. The following year it was 17, and so far this year 31 Nueces County residents have died from fentanyl poising, Hooper said.

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"Now, it's hitting us right between the eyes," Hooper said. "It's hitting home with our young people."

Sheriff Ray Del Bosque of Zapata County, a Democrat who has endorsed and appeared in campaign ads for Abbott, praised the governor's border initiative called Operation Lone Star. Many of Del Bosque's fellow Democrats have characterized the $4 billion effort, which has sent thousands of state troopers and National Guard soldiers for extended deployments to the border, as wasteful.

Del Bosque said the operation has helped small local law enforcement agencies meet the staffing power demands brought in by unauthorized border crossings.

"It is not a red issue; it is not a blue issue," Del Bosque said. "It's a red, white and blue issue, because we're all Americans."

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Immigration, fentanyl crisis highlighted by Abbott in Corpus Christi