On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) once again criticized the Biden administration’s lax approach to border control and national security. Abbott’s recent actions, including deploying Texas National Guard soldiers to reinforce border barriers, are central to the ongoing struggle between state and federal authority over territorial integrity and immigration policy.
“Texas will exercise our sovereign authority to protect our southern border and our nation because President Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws,” Abbott wrote in a Monday morning post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote amid reports of a significant law enforcement presence from Mexico aimed at curbing a new migrant caravan. That news suggests a coordinated effort to address the crisis, even though Mexico has recently taken an adverse position to Texas’ new law authorizing direct deportation of illegal migrants found in the Lone Star State.
Texas National Guard soldiers continue to reinforce border barriers in El Paso to deter and repel illegal crossings.
Texas will exercise our sovereign authority to protect our southern border—and our nation—because President Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws. pic.twitter.com/9kBM8qgwBl
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 8, 2024
Almost 7.3 million illegal migrants are known to have entered through the southwest border since Joe Biden assumed office. Abbott’s overall strategy includes bussing migrants to “sanctuary cities.” Abbott told Fox News on Sunday, “The person who is actually using illegal immigrants as political pawns is Joe Biden.”
Abbot added, “He is the commander in chief in charge of national security for our country. Our country is being invaded in ways that put our country at risk because of the political games that Joe Biden has played.”
Legal battles have also intensified, with a recent appeals court decision maintaining a hold on a Texas law designed to allow state prosecution of illegal crossings. This legal skirmish underscores the deepening rift over who has the right to enforce immigration laws, with the Biden administration arguing such actions encroach on federal authority. Texas counters that it has become the target of an active invasion that triggers its constitutional authority to defend itself in the face of federal inaction.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton echoed Abbott’s sentiments during an interview Friday on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight.” He suggested that a temporary reduction in migrant crossings might be politically motivated to alleviate Biden’s “illegal immigration problem” ahead of this year’s election. Even though a federal court ruled that federal agents could cut down barriers erected by Texas, Biden has not directed them to do so.
About Mexico’s recent cooperation with addressing the approaching migrant caravan, Paxton said, “Yeah, we all know what’s going on. There’s a deal. There’s a deal, otherwise, the Mexican government would not be doing this.”
“That’s not an accident, and that’s designed to help Joe Biden pull the election out because that is his worst issue, according to polling,” he added.
Abbott’s assertive border policy reflects President Trump’s and the America First movement’s concerns over national security and the rule of law. Texas leaders are taking proactive steps to protect their citizens and their property because the current administration has failed to uphold the immigration laws Congress has had on the books for decades.
