Fox News anchor Chris Wallace questioned Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) response to sexual abuse allegations at migrant detainment facilities under the presidencies of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump on this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday.”
Wallace, You made news this week reporting that there are cases of sexual abuse at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas that houses 1600 children. The head of a nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants said this. ‘The only reason why Abbott is now acting like he cares about the children in these facilities is for political reasons.’ Governor, there were thousands of complaints of sexual abuse at migrant shelters during the Trump years. Not to say that what’s going on now is right, but we couldn’t find one instance of you complaining and calling that out when President Trump was president.”
Abbott said, “Sure, there are multiple differences between what happened in the Trump administration and what is happening now. First, the Trump administration remained in constant communication with me and with my office and let us know what was going on. Second, I saw reports about exactly what you’re talking about and saw that those reports were filed with federal agencies. The one that I talked about earlier this past week were reports that were filed with state agencies, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and the Department of Protective and Child Services, which is basically Child Protective Services and so, we had a duty to respond to any complaint about child sexual abuse in Texas as well as to investigate it, and that’s exactly what I did to make sure it was addressed.”
He added, “Don’t fall prey to Democrats and others saying welcome Abbott didn’t complain up at this in the past. What they need to focus on is exactly what I called attention to last month in Dallas, Texas, where I pointed out then that there were going to be instances of child sexual abuse taking place. Today the Biden administration has done nothing to address these situations that would lead only two more allegations of child sexual abuse.”
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