By Guy Page
All but one of the nation’s 27 Republican governors on September 20 issued a joint letter demanding a meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss his plans for ending the crisis of illegal immigration on the southern border. The only Republican not to sign the letter is Vermont Gov. Phil Scott.
A screenshot (see below) of the signees shows the signatures, names, and home states of 26 GOP governors – except Scott’s. There are 27 GOP governors nationwide. Vermont Daily Chronicle has asked the Scott administration press spokesperson for comment. It will be published as soon as it is received.
Border apprehensions have surged almost 500% since last year and it is essential that federal action is taken immediately, the Republican Governors’ Association said in a September 20 statement. “The President is fully capable of using his office to implement policies that protect Americans from the multitude of problems that stem from the uncontrolled southern border.”
Illegal border crossings through September 20 totalled 1.3 million since Biden took office. That’s more people than the entire population of nine U.S. States. That figure is twice the population of Vermont (650,000).
“Despite the lack of federal action to reverse the crisis, many states have stepped up and committed unprecedented resources to support the security of our national border. We have heard directly from our constituents about the damage this crisis has caused in our states, and it is our duty as elected officials to act swiftly to protect our communities, as it is yours,” the governors said.
“While governors are doing what we can, our Constitution requires that the President must faithfully execute the immigration laws passed by Congress. Not only has the federal government created a crisis, it has left our states to deal with challenges that only the federal government has a duty to solve.”
Scott has been an active supporter of legal immigration, including resettling refugees from Afghanistan and other troubled nations, saying they are needed to enhance Vermont’s too-small labor force. On Oct. 8 he said he is unaware of any plans by the Department of Homeland Security to fly illegal immigrants from the southern border to Vermont for immigration processing.
