DHS Chief Mayorkas: TX Gov. Abbott Exploiting Migrants ‘for Political Purposes’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) was not coordinating with the federal government on immigration and exploiting migrants for “political purposes.”

Partial transcript as follows:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You really are taking it from both sides on this issue. The Texas governor, we saw Greg Abbott in the piece there, he calls this a Band-aid and he says you need to be adding more funding and resources to border enforcement right now.

MAYORKAS: Well, Governor Abbott is not collaborating with the federal government on an issue that requires collaboration. We cannot have the rights and the needs of individuals who are seeking humanitarian relief in the United States be exploited for political purposes. We cannot have unilateral governor action that is not coordinated with the federal government to address an issue that is of national importance.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As of yesterday morning, Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House. And back in November, he suggested that you might be impeached if you don’t resign. Here’s what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, (R) CALIFORNIA: If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate. Every order, every action and every failure will determine whether we can begin impeachment inquiry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANOPOULOS: What’s your response to the speaker?

MAYORKAS: I am joining the president today on his visit to El Paso, Texas. I’ve been to the border quite a number of times.

I’m joining the president at the North Mexican Leader’s Summit in Mexico City to work with our partners in Mexico and Canada to address the security of the homeland. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m proud to do it, alongside 250,000 incredibly dedicated and talented individuals in the Department of Homeland Security and I’m going to continue to do my work.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you have no intention of resigning?

MAYORKAS: I do not. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going to do it.

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