Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Friday “Texans have had enough” with the historic surge of illegal immigration, smuggling of drugs, and illegal activity in border communities.
The state attorney general candidate joined “Fox & Friends” to explain why he is declaring the surge an “invasion” perpetrated by drug cartels and traffickers. He called on Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, his primary opponent, to make the formal declaration.
“Under the Constitution, it’s very clear. Under Article Four, Section Four, the U.S. national government is compelled to protect the individual states and under Article One, Section 10, states like Texas can rise up and protect itself if the federal government won’t do its job,” he told host Brian Kilmeade.
Republican states, including Texas, have sued the Biden administration over a controversial rule that would expedite asylum claims at the southern border — the latest in a slew of legal challenges by Republican states over the administration’s immigration policies.
George P. Bush said the state is taking matters into its own hands.
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush joined ‘Fox & Friends’ Monday to discuss the newly unveiled stretch of border wall that was entirely funded by the state. Bush said state officials took matters into their own hands because the Biden administration has not helped to mitigate the persistent flow of migrants across the U.S. southern border
GEORGE P. BUSH: We went to work knowing that the Biden administration wouldn’t do their job. So we were proud to announce on Saturday morning that it was the people of Texas [building] on state-owned land. We finally said enough is enough. Enough of the open borders policy. Enough of the record spike in violent crime and drug smuggling that we’ve seen in border communities in Texas. And we’re going to take matters into our own hands knowing that, in the next three years, we’re not going to get assistance from the federal government on this issue. So we’re excited with the first stretch of wall that is being constructed to address one of the most trafficked corridors of violence that you’ll find in our entire state – a two-mile stretch where over 100 migrants come across on a daily basis.
I’ve carefully watched as the Biden administration repealed rule after rule, chipping away at our sense of law and order. And I’ve had enough.
It seems that President Biden has forgotten that a secure border is essential to maintaining a sovereign nation. His administration’s message that America’s borders are open has resulted in our southern border being uncontrolled. Human traffickers, criminals of all backgrounds, and those fundamentally seeking to harm the American way of life are exploiting and profiting from those who come to America hungry for freedom and opportunity.
As a Texan with Hispanic roots, I’ve carefully watched as the Biden administration repealed rule after rule, chipping away at America’s sense of law and order. And I’ve had enough.
In Texas, we are living with the consequences of President Biden’s disastrous policy.
Texas Land Commissioner and state attorney general candidate George P. Bush slammed the idea that horseback Border Patrol agents whipped migrants, sharing a video from a previous border visit to show the agents don’t have “whips.”
Bush blasted the Biden administration’s whipping narrative on Twitter Saturday amid the illegal immigration crisis plaguing the Biden administration.
Bush shared a video of him meeting with horseback Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector from a few months ago and pushed back on the White House’s “whipping” narrative that has resulted in Del Rio agents having to bench their horses.
Bush told Fox News in a Saturday email that the Biden administration’s “attempts” to “disparage our Border Patrol are out of control.”
“They have advocated for open borders and left our agents outmanned, overwhelmed, and overrun. This is intentional,” Bush said. “With almost 2,000 miles of border with Mexico, our honorable border patrol faces enormous challenges covering this terrain to enforce federal immigration law.”
“Texas is doing everything we can, but the federal government has dropped the ball and continues to put our national security at risk,” the state attorney general candidate added.
“It’s split reins that help give the agents additional control over the horse that they are using as a tool-not a weapon,” Bush tweeted on Saturday. “They’re certainly not whips, as [President] Biden and [Vice President Kamala Harris] want us to believe.”
Texas has launched its own effort to build a wall at the border
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its controversial decision to end construction of the border wall, one of a number of efforts to push back against the president’s border policies by the Lone Star state.
“The issue here is simple – no man is above the law, and that includes President Biden,” Bush said in a press conference.
The lawsuit was filed as part of the Texas Defense Task Force, set up by Bush to identify federal overreach and push back against perceived threats to the Texan economy. It sues Biden as well as the Department of Homeland Security on the grounds that ending the wall construction is illegal.
More than 450 miles of border wall, including in Texas, was built during the Trump administration. Opponents of wall construction said it was cruel and ineffective, while proponents said it was a vital part of a border strategy to stop the flow of illegal immigration.
Biden halted construction on his first day in office, and launched a review into how the funding and contracts underway could be handled. The Pentagon announced in April that funds would be used instead for previously deferred military construction projects.
The lawsuit says the president had no legal right to put a stop to wall construction on the Texas-Mexico border because Congress had already appropriated the funds.
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, claiming the president is illegally preventing the construction of a wall on the Texas-Mexico border.
Bush announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying his office is suing Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “on grounds that (the Biden administration) is illegally preventing the border wall from being constructed.”
“The issue here is simple — no man is above the law. And that includes President Biden,” Bush said.
With fresh paint, new carpet and a welcoming facade, many apartments and rental homes in coastal Texas welcome eager tenants, but they also could contain more than potential residents bargained for — cracked walls, hidden mold and a history of flooding. What can state leaders do to help these Texans?
Legislators should support SB 314 and HB 531, which give renters the right to know about the flooding history of their leased property.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) answered this question in a report published after Hurricane Harvey capturing lessons learned from helping Texans rebuild, which made recommendations to improve response and resiliency in future disasters. We found one of the major issues facing renters in coastal areas is the lack of transparency regarding the flood history of the rental unit. Currently, state laws do not require a landlord to disclose to potential renters that a home was previously flooded or sits in a floodplain.
Many homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey in flood-prone neighborhoods along the Texas Coast are still on the market for families searching for rental options amid the lack of housing stock. As the Houston Chronicle noted, after the catastrophic storm, homes were bought at rock bottom prices and flipped at enormous discounts in search of higher returns without any mitigation or elevation to prevent future flooding. According to the Houston Chronicle’s analysis of Harris County data, “of the 45,000 homes sold in the six months following the flood, at least 5,500, or one in eight, flooded during Harvey.”
“After a few years of left-wing progressive ideas everyday Americans are going to say, ‘This is enough,’” he continued.
Bush also warned that President Biden’s energy policies send a “very dangerous message” to the state.
“The industry directly employs 400,000 Texans and indirectly employs over a million,” Bush told Kilmeade. “We will lose 120,000 jobs if the federal lease policy stays in place for the rest of this year alone.”
Bush was referring to one of Biden’s energy actions. In a series of orders aimed at combating climate change, President Biden temporarily suspended the issuance of oil and gas permits on federal lands and waters and cancelled the Keystone XL oil pipeline project.
President Biden revoked the permit for the 1,700-mile pipeline on his first day in office, ending a project that was expected to employ more than 11,000 Americans this year.
In remarks made by Biden in January before signing executive actions on tackling climate change, the president pointed to “a key plank” of his Build Back Better Recovery Plan, which he noted “is building a modern, resilient climate infrastructure and clean energy future that will create millions of good-paying union jobs.”
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s immediate moves against the oil and gas industry produced a “chilling effect” against energy workers around the country.
“With this flurry of executive order activity, it sends a chilling effect, not only to the industry, but hard-working individuals throughout our country that rely on these jobs to put food on the table, and it’s a meaningful issue for them and is sometimes lost by coastal elites,” Bush told “America’s Newsroom.”
Biden’s early actions including canceling the Keystone Pipeline at the cost of 11,000 jobs and suspending new oil and gas permits on federal lands. Republicans have blasted Biden for what they view as pandering to the left on environmental causes and reducing U.S. energy independence.
Bush said he wanted to give Biden the “benefit of the doubt” but said the new president had shut out the oil and gas industry from having meaningful discussions.
“I’m afraid that we’re going to have to be in the courts to find redress,” he said.
Voices of Texas is a series of exclusive conversations with the people who make the Lone Star State what it is, discussing the important topics of today and looking toward the future.
AUSTIN, Texas — From his name alone, it seems George P. Bush was destined to go into politics. Currently, he serves as Texas Land Commissioner, and he said he’s determined to pave his own path in public service.
A native Texan, Bush graduated from Rice University, then became a school teacher before going to law school at The University of Texas. In 2014, he was elected as Texas Land Commissioner, and he’s taken the lead on historic projects like the remodeling of the Alamo and helping Texans rebuild after Hurricane Harvey.
With issues like COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and police reform taking center stage, Bush said it’s time for Texans to come together to help one another.
Spectrum News recently sat down with Bush to hear his vision of the future.
What does being a Texan mean to you?
“Well, I think the Texas spirit is all about being tough. It’s about being independent. It’s about being strong, and it’s about being proud. And so when I think about the current environment, the new normal that we live in, I see the Texas spirit every single day at the Land Office… I’m just proud to be a Texan. I’m proud of the spirit and the ingenuity and the innovation that’s taking place in our state.”
What sets Texas apart from the other states in the country?
“We have a unique history in the fact that we established our own Republic. We, of course, have our six flags and have a storied history, whether it’s the Spanish crown, the Mexican Republic, or even the Texas revolution that resulted in the Texas Republic. And that’s one of the coolest aspects of being land commissioner is that I serve as the custodian of many of these historic items, and I serve as the day-to-day manager of the Alamo, the most visited site in the state of Texas. So it’s really an everyday experience for us to not only live this history, but to teach it. Now as the father of two who are seven and five years old, I consider it a personal mission of mine to continue to teach Texas children, whether we’re doing it remotely or in person, now with the new realities of COVID-19, to speak to this history and make sure other generations understand it.”
What do you think Americans get wrong in their assumptions or understanding of Texas and Texans?
“Well, I think that sometimes they don’t understand our independent viewpoint and how we view the world. We’re very much individualistic in that we roll up our sleeves, and we just get things done. And you know what I thought was remarkable after Hurricane Harvey was the rest of the country just admired our spirit. They admired the Cajun Navy; they admired people helping each other out whether you were white or Black or brown it didn’t matter. We helped out our fellow man and responded to this crisis. As somebody who helped the governor, helped our communities recover and still do, I just thought it was remarkable that that spirit was unique and the rest of the country saw it as uniquely Texan. They misinterpret that as braggadocio or swagger, as my uncle would say. Sometimes it’s just, you know, in Texas we’re just walking, and that’s swagger, so that’s who we are. Sometimes it’s misinterpreted, but you know I think it’s, again, one of the reasons why we’re considered to be such a great state.”
