Without evidence, Gov. Greg Abbott asks whether nonprofits are helping migrants enter Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference with Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, on April 13, 2022. Abbott called Wednesday for an investigation into nonprofits that help migrants. (Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune)

Gov. Greg Abbott called Wednesday for the state to investigate whether nonprofit organizations have helped people enter the country illegally, adding another talking point to his border hawk arsenal and another headache to humanitarian relief groups that help migrants in Texas.

Abbott made his request in a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton in which he cited the increased number of migrants expected at the border once Title 42 — a federal public health order issued near the start of the pandemic that officials have used to turn away migrants at the border — comes to an end in a few days at a time of record migrant crossings. Earlier this week, 1,500 people waded across the low waters in the Rio Grande and into El Paso in one crossing, stressing the city’s limited resources to deal with migrants.