Abbott says Texas economy is booming; calls for more action to be taken at border

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on KFOX14 News at Five on Wednesday to discuss immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and the state's economy.

Abbott started off by saying that Texas' economy is performing better than any other state in the country.

He added that Texas won Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup for the eleventh consecutive year and the nineteenth time overall.

"It goes to the state that ranks number one in the United States for the most economic development projects," Abbott said. "Texas was actually more than double the second-ranked state. This past year Texas added more than 650,000 new jobs and we have more Texans employed today than ever in the history of our state."

Abbott said both people and companies have moved to Texas and that has helped increase employment.

"In fact this past year, Texas became home to more Fortune 500 company headquarters than any other state. But also part of it is, businesses that already exist in places like El Paso, deciding to expand in those regions because doing business in El Paso is so favorable," Abbott said.

KFOX14 Anchor Robert Holguin also asked Abbott about the Texas Military being deployed to the border in El Paso while a record number of migrants were arriving in December.

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Abbott said the state had to assist due to inaction by the Biden administration.

"What our goal and desire would be is that we never have to do this. In fact, we did not have to do it under the prior administration because under the prior administration, standards were set and laws were enforced to ensure that we had the lowest border crossings in decades," Abbott said.

Last week the Biden administration said it has plans to deny asylum to migrants who show up at the border without first seeking protection in a country they passed through.

Abbott responded by claiming that the Biden administration has talked about trying to address issues at the border but that it has not taken action.

"They've repeatedly said that the border is closed, the border is not open, that turned out to be false. They said people don't just walk across the border when in fact they are just walking across the border. My point is this and that is, they've never been accurate about anything they've said about border security and so they're going to have to prove it by actions as opposed to just words."

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Abbott also said Republicans in the U.S. House are working to reimburse Texas for the costs it has incurred while dealing with the border.

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