Following the Supreme Court’s decision against Gov. Abbott’s Texas and in favor of the Biden Administration, ruling that federal agents could take down barbed wire border barriers erected by Texas, Gov. Abbott didn’t back down. Rather, he and the Texas National Guard vowed defiance, declaring that they would fight back against the “invasion” at the border by continuing to raise the barbed wire barriers and keep out illegal immigrants. Now red state governors are rallying to his defense.
As background, Gov. Abbott declared his defiance in a powerful statement. After describing the ways in which the Biden Administration had utterly failed to defend the border, Gov. Abbott declared that Texas would defend itself from the “invasion.” He wrote, “The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense.”
Continuing, Gov. Abbott added, “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. 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.”
Now red state governors are rallying to Gov. Abbott’s aid as he stares down the Supreme Court of the United States and the Biden Administration. One of the first to do so was Gov. Ken Stitt of Oklahoma. Responding to a post on X about the situation, Gov. Stitt wrote, “Oklahoma stands with Texas.”
Similarly, Gov. DeSantis of Florida declared his support and that Florida would continue sending aid to Texas. Posting about the matter on X, he wrote, “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 Texas with personnel and assets.”
Already helping Gov. Abbott in his endeavors was Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas. She deployed the Arkansas National Guard to the border in the summer of 2023, as her office announced in a press release at the time, saying, “Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today directed the Arkansas National Guard to send soldiers to the southern border to support the Texas National Guard as they work to combat illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking at the border due to the failed policies of the Biden Administration.”
Speaking about that at the time, Governor Sanders said, “President Biden’s failure at our southern border puts the entire country at risk. States must now step up where the President has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking. Arkansans have always been quick to step up when others are in need – this time is no different.”
So far, numerous other red state governors including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin have also expressed support for Gov. Abbott and Texas. Gov. Youngkin, announcing his support on X, said, “Virginia stands with Texas. @GregAbbott_TX is doing the job Joe Biden and his border [chief] refuse to do to secure our border. The Biden administration has turned every state into a border state. We must stop the flow of fentanyl, save lives, and secure our southern border.”
Watch Texans set up border defenses after the ruling here:
Featured image credit: Texas Military Department
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