White House: Abbott’s plan to send migrants to Washington is a ‘publicity stunt’

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposal to transport migrants to Washington, saying the governor lacked legal authority to enforce immigration policy.

“I’m not aware of what authority the governor would be doing that under,” Psaki told reporters. “I think it’s pretty clear this is a publicity stunt.”

On Wednesday, the governor announced a proposal to send migrants arriving in Texas to capital by bus and airplane, arguing that such a step was necessary after the Biden administration said it would lift a pandemic-related restriction that denied entry to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Administration officials announced last week that it would end the public health order, known as Title 42, in May.

The criticism from the White House is the latest missive between Biden and Abbott, who have clashed regularly on issues like transgender rights and the border. In March, Biden issued a statement blasting Abbott’s order that state agencies investigate the parents of children receiving gender-affirming health care.

Abbott has said that Biden has abandoned his responsibility to maintain the country’s border with Mexico, necessitating state intervention.

Psaki reiterated Thursday that the governor cannot, under the law, force migrants to travel to the nation’s capital or anywhere else.

“I know that the governor of Texas or any state does not have the legal authority to compel anyone to get on a bus,” she said.