Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) slammed President Joe Biden Wednesday for ignoring his “constitutional duties” and declared that Texas has the “constitutional authority” to defend itself against the “invasion” of illegal immigrants at the southern border between the United States and Mexico.
“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States,” Abbott said in a statement released Wednesday. “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. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.”
Abbott noted that the Biden administration’s border policies have resulted in unprecedented levels of illegal immigration across the southern border. The Texas governor asserted that Biden has “ignored” the state’s demand that the president “perform his constitutional duties” despite multiple letters being delivered to Biden.
“Under President Biden’s lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our
southern border in just 3 years,” Abbott said. “That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States.”
READ MORE: Pics: Texas installs more razor wire despite Supreme Court order
Abbott’s statement, which was shared on social media, comes amid the state’s ongoing feud with the federal government over the security of the southern border. Although the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling on Monday allowing the Biden administration to remove razor-wire Texas has installed at the border, the Texas National Guard has continued to install additional wire in defiance of the federal government.
“James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border,” Abbott stated.
Abbott said the Biden administration’s “failure” to protect Texas against an invasion at the southern border has triggered the state’s “right of self-defense.” The Republican governor reiterated his previous declaration of an “invasion” of the state, granting Texas the necessary “constitutional authority” to defend itself against the unprecedented level of illegal immigration.
“That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary,” Abbott added. “The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”
