This story was updated on June 19 to include Rep. Jason Villalba's letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Joe Straus' letter to the Trump administration and comments by Lupe Valdez, Democratic nominee for governor.

AUSTIN — State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to take an active role to stop the separation of immigrant children from their parents on Texas' southern borer.

In a letter on Monday, Rep. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso asked Abbott to cancel the deployment of the Texas National Guard to the border and other practices until the federal government stops separating immigrant children from their parents while their asylum cases play out in court.

"I am respectfully requesting that you halt certain border security practices and cancel the deployment of our Texas National Guard at the border until this abhorrent and immoral policy of separating families is ended," Blanco wrote.

Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from adult migrants in the six weeks since the Trump administration initiated a zero-tolerance policy of pressing criminal charges against anyone caught illegally crossing the border.

Federal authorities have housed immigrant children separated from their parents at a detention center in Tornillo — 40 miles outside of El Paso — that many have described as a "tent city" for holding immigrant minors.

Images of children in the center have sparked outrage. Prominent Texas Democrats —including U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso and Democratic candidate for governor Lupe Valdez — marched to Tornillo last weekend to protest the policy.

"I would like to invite you to El Paso and Tornillo to see the temporary shelter or 'tent city' and the state of the migrant children detained there," Blanco wrote to Abbott.

In his letter, Blanco noted that the Republican governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, recently canceled the deployment of his state's National Guard to the southwest border after reports that immigration authorities were separating children from their parents — a policy Baker called "cruel and inhumane."

Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Valdez, the Democratic nominee for governor, hit Abbott for not pushing back against the White House on the issue.

"Greg Abbott's continued silence is deafening. As children are being torn from their parents on our soil, the man who lectures us about morals and values has silently condoned this inhumanity," Valdez said in a prepared statement. "As we see images of children in cages, hear the painful wails of children suffering, and hear bipartisan opposition to this disgraceful policy, our Governor stays silent. A humanitarian crisis is developing in our state and our Governor refuses to act."

Valdez faulted Abbott for creating a culture where such a policy was tolerated through "racist, fear-based and hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies."

"Texans are better than this and our leaders should have the moral courage to speak out for what is right," Valdez said. "We must keep families together."

The outrage has led even some Republicans to speak out against the policy. Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz both said they would file bills to prevent the separation of immigrant families at the border. Cruz's would propose faster deportations to end the need for the separation of families while immigration cases play out.

On Tuesday, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus called publicly on the Trump administration to end the zero tolerance policy immediately.

Dallas Republican Jason Villalba, who lost his primary election challenge to Lisa Luby Ryan in March, also joined the calls for action Tuesday. In a letter to Abbott, he asked the governor to intercede to the president on behalf of children separated from their families.

"I implore you today to hear the cries of the little ones at our border who have been torn from their loving mothers and fathers," Villalba wrote. "These children are innocent. These children did not make the decision to violate our laws to be in this country, nor have they committed any crimes. Their parents did. But for the sins of their fathers, these little babies are suffering. Alone, scared and fearful."

Villalba also asked that the state provide facilities where families could be kept together while their immigration status is processed instead of being separated and offered to lead the charge to privatee funds to pay for these facilities.

He also asked that Abbott withhold the use of any state taxpayer money to fund what he called the "morally repugnant practice of separating children from their parents."

The Trump administration held steady to its policy Monday.

"Illegal actions have and must have consequences. No more free passes. No more Get Out of Jail Free cards," said Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of homeland security.