House Speaker, Several Governors Side With Texas Against Feds Over Border Security

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The Lone Star State has a posse: governors and state officials across the nation, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), are among those who have stood with the state in its standoff with the Biden administration over the southern border.

On Jan. 24, after the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Border Patrol could remove razor wire placed by Texas authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott posted a statement on X accusing the federal government of having “broken the compact between the United States and the States.”

The governor argued that Texas must now exercise a right to self-defense against a record-breaking influx of illegal immigrants crossing its border under the Biden administration.

His letter cites Article 1, Sec. 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which references states being “invaded.” It draws on an opinion from the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in the 2012 case “Arizona v. United States.” Justice Scalia wrote that the relevant constitutional language “leaves intact [states’] inherent power to protect their territory” and acknowledges “states’ sovereign interest in protecting their borders.”
Citing those examples, Mr. Abbott stated he had “already declared an invasion under Article 1, [Sec.] 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”

Republican Officials in Solidarity

A show of support from Republican officials elsewhere in the nation flooded X overnight. They came after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte voiced support for Texas on Jan. 23, before Mr. Abbott released his defiant Jan. 24 statement.

Mr. Johnson also declared his support for the governor.

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“I stand with Governor Abbott. The House will do everything in its power to back him up. The next step: holding Secretary Mayorkas accountable,” Mr. Johnson wrote on X late in the evening on Jan. 24, referring to the possible impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which House Republicans are pursuing.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently dropped out of the presidential race, likewise backed Mr. Abbott. He said his state would “keep assisting Texas with personnel and assets.”

“Virginia stands with Texas,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote on X the evening of Jan. 24.

“We support [Gov. Abbott] and the State of Texas,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice wrote on X on Jan. 25.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, and Oklahoma Gov. Ken Stitt, along with Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), are among the public officials across the country who have expressed solidarity with Texas.

Critics of the move include cultural commentator and mathematician James Lindsay.

“Bad feelings about this. Hope I’m wrong,” he wrote on X.

Former President Donald J. Trump has not yet weighed in on Truth Social.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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