Democrats are calling on President Joe Biden to seize control of the Texas National Guard to prevent Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott from stationing them along the U.S. southern border.
Democratic Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar of Texas accused Abbott of defying the Supreme Court by continuing to station National Guard troops at the southern border and build illegal immigration deterrents out of concertina wire.
“Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Castro posted on X on Tuesday. “If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now.”
Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border.
If Abbott is defying yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now. https://t.co/f1SKuCwEWG
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) January 23, 2024
Casar followed up on Wednesday, adding: “Greg Abbott has continued to use political stunts and inflammatory language to advance his own agenda, violating the Constitution and endangering both U.S. citizens and asylum seekers. … I agree with @JoaquinCastrotx: if Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard.”
I agree with @JoaquinCastrotx : if Abbott is defying yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard. (3/6)
— Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) January 24, 2024
Abbott issued a statement Wednesday accusing Biden of violating his oath of office and facilitating an illegal immigration invasion of the state of Texas.
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“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. “President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants.
“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. 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,” he continued. “That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
Abbott’s statement came after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 earlier this week to lift an injunction against U.S. Border Patrol agents cutting through Texas concertina wire placed along the border.