Grand Canyon Times

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus accused Republican governors of "lying to immigrants" and promising them free bus rides to places like New York, Washington, D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey responded by criticizing Magnus and other federal officials.

According to NBC News, Magnus criticized Republican governors from Texas, Arizona and Florida, and blamed them for making problems worse at the border by promising to ship illegal migrants to northern cities in the U.S., using immigrants as chips in a political game.

“When a governor acts unilaterally and refuses to coordinate with other government officials, that is when problems arise," Magnus said to NBC News. "And that is when we deplore political stuntsmanship when we’re dealing with the lives of vulnerable individuals."

NBC reports that Border Patrol released nearly 1,300 migrants in El Paso, Texas, from Sept. 7 to 15, claiming shelters were too full to take them in. On Twitter, Ducey responded to Magnus' comments.

"CBP Commissioner Magnus should spend less time spinning for the Biden administration’s failed policies, and focus on what the American people expect him to do," Ducey wrote on Friday. "If he did, sheriffs in Arizona wouldn’t be calling on him to resign."

Magnus told NBC that despite the releases and the busing of migrants to other cities, the Border Patrol is "managing the influx." Ducey, however, disagreed.

“Since Commissioner Magnus was appointed nearly nine months ago, we have continued to see an influx of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs cross our Southern border," he wrote on Twitter. "What we have not seen is an increased partnership from the federal government."