The fight between Texas and the federal government over enforcement at the U.S. southern border continues to intensify. The Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 22 that federal officers could cut and remove razor wire installed along the border by the Lone Star state to prevent illegal crossings.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, and other officials fired back, saying the state would not back off and would continue to implement border controls despite calls from the White House to stand down.
Some elected officials have backed Abbott’s efforts while others have pushed back.
For months, Abbott has directed the Texas National Guard to deploy razor wire along border hotspots — including Shelby Park, located in Eagle Pass, Texas — to deter migrants from crossing into the country.
The Biden administration sued.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in the Biden administration’s favor, giving the federal government the authority to cut down razor wire installed by Texas. The ruling, however, does not bar Texas from installing more razor wire, so Abbott and state officials are doubling down.
“We’ll keep doing everything that we need to do to protect our state,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, R, said in an interview with Fox News. “Despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruling was so wrong and has such a detrimental effect on our state and on our country.”
The fight between Texas officials and the federal government has been simmering for years.
Abbott calls the migrant crisis an “invasion,” as more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed into the United States.
“The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting states, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said in a statement released Wednesday, Jan. 24. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.”
On Jan. 25, one by one, 25 Republican governors stated they would all support Texas in “holding the line.”
“So, all of this is just nonsense what Biden is doing,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, said in a video on X. “Texas has every right to stand its ground. We in Florida, we’ve been sending people for many years now, because we understand it’s not just Texas’ issue. It’s ultimately an American issue and if we don’t have sovereignty in this country then we’re not going to be a country anymore.”
Abbott spoke with Tucker Carlson on Friday, Jan. 26, saying at least 10 states have sent their national guard troops to Texas.
Carlson asked Abbott how the state of Texas would respond if the White House federalizes the Texas National Guard, as some Democratic lawmakers have suggested.
“Well first off, shocked. That would be a bone-headed move on his [Biden’s] part, a total disaster,” Abbott told Carlson. “But for one, as you might imagine, we are prepared in the event that that unlikely event does occur.”
It’s unclear how the White House will respond if Texas does not grant federal troops access to Shelby Park to cut down the razor wire. Abbott vows to keep erecting barriers in the state of Texas along the U.S. southern border.
