When Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled his plan in April 2022 to bus what would turn out to be tens of thousands of migrants who had crossed into Texas from Mexico without legal authorization to Democratic-run cities in other states, he wasn’t thinking about presidential politics, the three-term Republican told a friendly audience Thursday.
In an appearance at the University of Texas Law School sponsored by the Texas Law Federalist Society, Abbott acknowledged that his migrant busing program in particular and his $11 billion Operation Lone Star in general handed President Donald Trump a favorable narrative for his successful 2024 campaign to regain the White House.
“Our original design was not to alter the arc of political discourse or the presidential campaign, which, in fact, it did do,” Abbott told members of the conservative organization at the law school. “In the end, our goal was to provide relief to those small communities” along the border that were struggling to provide services for people who crossed the Rio Grande into Texas.
The 45-minute conversation with interim UT President Jim Davis, who assumed his new role in February, and Texas Law Federalist Society President Jordan Lamb gave the governor an opportunity to highlight issues within his political wheelhouse. In addition to contrasting the border security polices of Democratic former President Joe Biden with his own and Trump’s, Abbott talked about efforts to enhance Texas’ business climate and about the criteria he uses to vet lawyers whom he has appointed to be judges in state courts.
Abbott boasted about his successful push in 2023 for a special appeals court to handle business-to-business litigation that might otherwise face significant delays due to a backlog of criminal and civil cases in other venues.
On the question of appointing judges, whether they’d preside over one of the hundreds of state District Courts or serve as justices to the Texas Supreme Court, Abbott said he looks for candidates who would not seek to legislate from the bench.
“I’m an originalist. I believe that the way the Constitution is written is the way that it should be applied,” said Abbott, who served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 until 2001. “So I’m looking for originalists, strict constructionists — people who will apply conservative applications of the law. Not expanding it, but deciding on the basis of what legislators or Congress or the Constitution itself decides.”
One question, however, did cause the governor to pause and carefully craft his answer so as not to alienate too many Texans on a topic near to the hearts of many of them.
“Governor, we’ve covered some very weighty topics today: law, policy, the future of Texas,” Lamb said as the question-and-answer session was about to wrap up. “But now it’s time to tackle a truly divisive issue.
“Texans take their Tex-Mex seriously, and Austin has no shortage of great spots,” she added. “If you had to recommend just one place in town for the best Tex-Mex, where are you sending us?”
Abbott replied: “Uh oh,” perhaps recognizing the need to choose wisely.
As might be expected of a former justice on the Texas Supreme Court, Abbott prefaced his decision with something of a windy setup.
“As governor of Texas, it’s hard for me to pick among all my children,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
He began by acknowledging that the question before him was indeed controversial. Then he highlighted that Tex-Mex cuisine in Texas is unmatched. And he noted that the Tex-Mex experience could not be limited to just food, but also to the atmosphere and to the selection and quality of its beverages.
“You’re going to have beer, you’re going to have a margarita,” Abbott said. “You’re going to be enjoying yourself. You’re not going there to be quiet. You’re not going there to study, for God’s sake.”
Finally, after setting the parameters and laying out all the evidence, Abbott was ready to make his ruling. He settled on an Austin institution that has been in business for 73 years, starting out in a tiny venue on East First Street and now housed at a sprawling location on South Lamar Boulevard.
“All that boils down to one place that stands out above others,” Abbott said, “and that’s Matt’s El Rancho.”
No one in the audience offered a dissenting opinion.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Why Texas Gov. Abbott says his migrant bus operation helped set tone for 2024 elections
Reporting by John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
