Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a fiery statement on Wednesday condemning the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine security at the southern border. Abbott’s declaration accuses President Joe Biden of willfully neglecting his constitutional duty and explains Texas’ right to defend itself from the migrant invasion, defying a Supreme Court ruling issued earlier this week.
As Valuetainment reported at the time, the court ruled on Monday that federal Border Patrol agents can begin to remove barbed wire barricades along the Rio Grande, allowing an untold number of illegal immigrants to enter Texas for processing. The Texas National Guard had previously taken control of the area near the city of Eagle Pass, ousting federal agents and erecting additional fortifications to stop the migrant crossings.
Following the court’s decision, Governor Abbott pledged to stand firm in his defense of the state’s border, despite protests and threats from the federal government.
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“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States,” Abbott wrote in his statement on Wednesday. “The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting the states, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.”
Abbott continued by highlighting the multiple ways in which Biden has “ignored” his constitutional duties, stating:
- President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress. Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.
- President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statues that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The effect is to illegally allow their en masse parole into the United States.
- By wasting taxpayer dollars to tear open Texas’ border security infrastructure, President Biden has enticed illegal immigrants away from the 28 legal entry points along this State’s southern border—bridges where nobody drowns—and into the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande.
Abbott further noted that more than 6 million illegal aliens have escaped into the country since Biden took office—a number that, as the governor notes, is greater than the population of 30 different states.
In light of Biden’s failure to abide by Article IV, § 4 of the US Constitution, Abbott claims that he has been left with no choice but to invoke Article I, § 10, Clause 3, “which reserves to this State the right of self-defense.”
“For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself,” he concluded. “That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”
My statement on Texas’ constitutional right to self-defense. pic.twitter.com/seNFZdmujP
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 24, 2024
Related: Immigration Overtakes Inflation as Country’s Biggest Concern, Voters Blame Biden
In response, a fierce debate has broken out around the country as public figures and elected leaders rush to take a side in the brewing conflict between federal authority and state sovereignty.
Other Republican governors, including Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Ron DeSantis of Florida, have vowed to support Texas with personnel and resources wherever possible.
Oklahoma stands with Texas. https://t.co/67VzVEfEv1
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) January 24, 2024
If the Constitution really made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it wouldn’t have been ratified in the first place and Texas would have never joined the union when it did.
TX is upholding the law while Biden is flouting it.
FL will keep assisting… https://t.co/qOJY2zT1hG
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 24, 2024
Meanwhile, Texas Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar (D), as well as failed presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, called on Biden to immediately federalize the Texas National Guard, taking control away from Abbott and setting the stage for a much more significant conflict.
Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border.
If Abbott is defying yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now. https://t.co/f1SKuCwEWG
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) January 23, 2024
I agree with @JoaquinCastrotx : if Abbott is defying yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard. (3/6)
— Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) January 24, 2024
Abbott is using the Texas Guard to defy a Supreme Court ruling.
When Gov. Faubus did this in 1957, Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas Guard to ensure compliance with the law.
Biden must follow this example of bold, decisive leadership to end this crisis before it gets worse.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) January 24, 2024
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X (Twitter) and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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