The Republican made the remarks during a press briefing, saying that his state on the southern border has been "overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration."

"We are sending [the illegal immigrants] to the United States capital where the Biden administration will be able to more immediately address the needs of the people that they are allowing to come across our border," Abbott told reporters.

The measure comes in response to the lifting of Title 42 by the Biden administration last week.

The public health provision is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order that was invoked in March 2020 under President Donald Trump to minimize the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that only essential travel occurred at U.S. borders.

It directed that illegal immigrants could be quickly expelled back into Mexico as a pandemic precaution, rather than be processed under Title 8 immigration law, which is a much more protracted process inside the United States.

As the Biden administration prepares to drop the measure on May 23, Border Patrol agents and local officials along the border are bracing for an even greater influx of illegal immigrants.

In a release that followed shortly after the governor's press conference, Abbott's office said only those who volunteer will be transported, and must show documentation that they have been processed by the Department of Homeland Security.

"The Biden Administration's open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous cartels and deadly drugs to pour into the United States, and this crisis will only be made worse by ending Title 42 expulsions," Abbott said.