Siding with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) criticized President Joe Biden and his “border czar” for continued problems at the Mexico/U.S. border.
Abbott is in a dispute with the White House over the security at the border. According to Abbott, Texas has a “constitutional right to self-defense,” and therefore the right to try to secure the Texas border if Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.
“Virginia stands with Texas,” Youngkin posted to X on Wednesday, captioning a lengthy statement from Abbott concerning the border dispute.
“Greg Abbott is doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border,” Youngkin continued, referencing U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
“The Biden administration has turned every state into a border state,” the Virginia governor continued. “We must stop the flow of fentanyl, save lives, and secure our southern border.”
Virginia stands with Texas. @GregAbbott_TX is doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border.
The Biden administration has turned every state into a border state. We must stop the flow of fentanyl, save lives, and secure our southern border. https://t.co/XaPu2RqJBP
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) January 25, 2024
Abbott’s statement accuses Biden of violating his oath of office and facilitating an illegal immigration invasion of Texas.
“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,” the statement says, as reported by The Daily Wire. “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,” Abbott continued. “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. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
Abbott last year sued the Biden administration to stop cutting razor wire the governor had placed along his state’s border to try to deter illegals from crossing into Texas. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to lift an injunction against U.S. Border Patrol agents cutting through the wire.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Abbott said in a defiant social media post that Texas would continue to place the wire at the border.
“Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies,” he wrote. “We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration.”
Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies.
We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/PE8wiMYaYI
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 24, 2024
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.
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