Texas Governor Greg Abbott defied a Supreme Court rule authorizing the federal government to demolish Texas’ razor-wire border barrier, arguing the state’s constitutional right to protect its borders.
Texas Governor Abbott Asserts State’s Authority Amid Border Security Clash
Abbott said he gave President Biden many chances to secure the border, but Texas interfered due to national failures.
Abbott proclaimed an “invasion” under the Constitution, citing states’ specific ability to defend borders when the feds fail. This power supersedes conflicting federal laws, he said. Texas used constitutional power and state legislation to send the National Guard, Department of Public Safety, and other state officials for this defense.
The Texas National Guard has taken over a neighborhood park that was a staging ground for illegal border crossings near Eagle Pass. To prevent river crossings, razor wire has been erected. Texas officials have reinforced the wire despite the Supreme Court rule permitting Border Patrol officers to dismantle it.
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Supreme Court Ruling and Border Wire Reinforcement
With Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining three Democratic appointees, the Supreme Court removed a lower court order banning wire cutting except in emergencies 5-4. The dearth of views makes the logic unclear, but lower courts had to decide whether the federal government relinquished sovereign immunity to bring the case to court.
Images of Texas strengthening the wire have circulated online. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said President Biden may nationalize the Texas National Guard and ask them to stand down, but no decision has been taken.
The conflict between federal and state authority, border security measures, and legal interpretations persists, requiring continuous monitoring of the Texas border dynamics.