Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at CPAC: ‘What’s happening on the border today is not an accident’

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick decried the Biden administration for failing to protect the Texas-Mexico border as he stressed support for former President Donald Trump during a speech at CPAC in Dallas on Friday.

During the speech, Patrick accused Biden of wanting to destroy the country’s borders and celebrating “violence in our streets.” He said Biden and Democrats don’t respect the constitution.

“What’s happening on the border today is not an accident,” Patrick said to a crowd gathered in a Hilton ballroom. “It’s purposeful. It’s a designed plan. Why are they letting millions of people pour across this border? Because they want to turn them into citizens. Turn them into voters, and take over this country.”

Patrick said immigration changed California from a Republican state to a Democratic state.

League of United Latin American Citizens National President Domingo Garcia called Patrick’s comments a “Texas-sized, big whopper of a lie” in a comment to the Star-Telegram.

“He never complained about the literally hundreds of thousands of immigrants who crossed the border, the children who were detained in cages while Trump was president for four years,” he said.

The remarks are the latest in a series of public comments from Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott criticizing Biden for his border policy. Patrick is among several Texans scheduled to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Reps. Roger Williams and Beth Van Duyne. The conference is hosted by the American Conservative Union and brings conservatives from across the country to North Texas.

Last week, Patrick and Abbott joined Trump at the Texas-Mexico border, where the governor earlier announced the state would build a border wall of its own. The effort is being funded with a $250 million “down payment,” Abbott said.

Patrick told CPAC attendees that while visiting the state Trump asked him a question: “Dan are you ready for one more?”

“And I said, ‘I’m ready if you are,’” Patrick said.

Patrick spent much of his speech Friday railing against Democrats and offering support for the former president, who is headlining the convention with a speech on Sunday. Patrick said Texas is “ready to fight for everything you hold dear where ever you live in America.”

“His policies will live on forever,” Patrick said. “He has taught America to stand up and fight for this nation, because this is a time, and make no mistake, this is not just about Democrats and Republicans.”

Patrick said he doesn’t know what Trump will do in 2024, the next presidential election year.

“But I can assure you that his willingness to fight and stand up is honored here in Texas,” Patrick said.