Waco, Texas– Yesterday, Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17) joined Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) and 19 members of the Texas Congressional delegation in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing concern about the State of Texas’ ongoing legal challenge with the Department of Justice (DOJ), supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts, and encouraging reconsideration of the DOJ’s lawsuit against the State of Texas challenging Senate Bill 4. SB 4, which Gov. Abbott signed on December 18, 2023, grants Texas the authority to arrest individuals who illegally cross the border from Mexico.

Since taking office in January 2021, President Biden has issued 535 executive actions related to immigration, a record number by a single U.S. president. During this period, there have been over 6.7 million illegal crossings at the United States-Mexico border and 1.9 million known "gotaways" – individuals who have evaded U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) – as well as several months with record-breaking apprehension numbers.

“The unmitigated illegal migration crisis is detrimental to Texas, and I applaud Governor Abbott’s decisive action in the absence of leadership from the Biden Administration,” said Congressman Sessions. “The Department of Homeland Security’s decision not to enforce existing immigration laws properly represents an abdication of responsibility, exacerbating the crisis and failing both Texans and Americans.

It is unjust to penalize Texas for stepping up when the federal government has stepped back. The Justice Department's claim challenging SB4 as unconstitutional ignores the reality that Texas is aligning with the Constitution and federal law. Texas is duty-bound to protect its citizens and must be empowered to act accordingly. I stand firmly with Governor Abbott.”

The letter was also signed by Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-4), Jake Ellzey (TX-6), Dan Crenshaw (TX-2), Keith Self (TX-3), Chip Roy (TX-21), Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Lance Gooden (TX-5), Michael McCaul (TX-10), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Michael Burgess (TX-26), John Carter (TX-31), Brian Babin (TX-36), Morgan Luttrell (TX-8), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Randy Weber (TX-14), Nathaniel Moran (TX-1), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), and Michael Cloud (TX-27).

The full text of the letter can be found here.