Updated Jan. 25, 2024
More than two dozen states expressed support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after he refused to kowtow to the Biden administration’s bullying about the ongoing border crisis.
The Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 22 that the federal border officials could cut razor wire installed by the Texas National Guard along the Rio Grande if they felt it impeded their ability to do their jobs. Abbott announced on Wednesday, Jan. 24, that he would uphold the law by allowing his state’s National Guard to continue their operations, especially in high-traffic illegal crossing areas like Eagle Pass, Texas.
He emphasized that the Lone Star State has a constitutional right to defend itself against the 10 million migrants who have illegally crossed into the U.S. under President Joe Biden.
“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. 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 wrote. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.”
His declaration received an outpouring of support from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, several members of Congress, and more than a dozen state leaders.
Wyoming
“Wyoming stands in solidarity with Governor Abbott and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy to secure the border and protect American citizens,” Gov. Mark Gordon wrote on Jan. 25. “We are all border states now.”
Iowa
Iowa supports Texas’ border fight, Gov. Kim Reynolds confirmed on Jan. 25.
“When the federal government fails, states step in. Iowa sent the Iowa National Guard and State Troopers down to the border last year to stop this invasion. Iowa stands with Texas,” she wrote on X.
Reynolds deployed 109 soldiers from the Iowa National Guard to aid Texas’ border operations last August.
Arkansas
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Jan. 25 that she backs Abbott’s decision to uphold the law in Eagle Pass, Texas.
“If President Biden won’t defend us, states will have to defend themselves. Arkansas stands with Texas,” she wrote on X.
In the summer of 2023, The Natural State Republican deployed the Arkansas National Guard to aid the Lone Star State’s mission to “combat illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking at the border due to the failed policies of the Biden Administration.”
“President Biden’s failure at our southern border puts the entire country at risk. States must now step up where the President has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking,” Sanders said in a statement.
Montana
“Montana stands with Texas,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Jan. 25.
Gianforte joined Abbott in raising alarms about the border crisis when Biden took office in 2021.
“Since [Biden] took office, more than 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed our open southern border. That’s 10x the population of Montana,” he wrote in another post.
Idaho
Gov. Brad Little said Texas and Abbott have his state’s support as they continue to secure the border, fight fentanyl, and combat human trafficking.”
Idaho will continue to step up, even when [Biden] won’t,” Little wrote on X on Jan. 25. “The lawless southern border threatens the lives of all Americans, including Idahoans.”
North Dakota
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum reassured Abbott that his state and its National Guard “stands with Texas” after the Biden administration continued to undo its efforts to secure the border.
“As the Biden administration fails miserably to secure the southern border, Americans and our communities are paying the price,” Burgum wrote on X on Jan. 25. “[Abbott] deserves our thanks for taking action to stop illegal crossings and disrupt drug and human trafficking.”
Nebraska
The Cornhusker State is “proud to stand with Texas,” Gov. Jim Pillen wrote in a statement posted to X on Jan. 25.
“The failure to secure our border has created a massive flow of illegal drugs, national security and terrorism risks, and a humanitarian crisis,” Pillen said, noting that he sent both Nebraska State Troopers and the Nebraska National Guard to help out Abbott last year.
West Virginia
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice expressed formal support for Abbott and Texas on Jan. 25.
“We have a terrible crisis at the Southern Border. The Biden Administration has turned every state into a border state. We must stop the flow of fentanyl, human trafficking, and criminal activity and secure our border,” he wrote on X.
Justice sent 50 West Virginia National Guard soldiers and airmen to Texas in May to assist with Operation Lone Star after Abbott requested aid.
Alabama
“Texas, you can count on Alabama to have your back,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey reassured Abbott in a Jan. 25 post on X. “Texas and the states have stepped up time and time again. The White House? Purposely absent. I have had enough.”
Ivey was one of the 25 other state leaders to join the Governors’ Border Strike Force in 2022.
Tennessee
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that his state “always stood with Texas” on the border and “always will.”
“The federal government’s failure to secure our nation’s southern border is jeopardizing the safety of all Americans,” Lee said on Jan. 25.
Lee sent 100 Tennessee troops to Texas last year to help with the border.
Louisiana
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said his state stands with Texas and Abbott because “under our Constitution, states are still sovereign, and we have the right to protect our citizens.”
“We support legal, not illegal immigration. We support secure and safe borders, not open border policies that allow criminals, human trafficking, and drugs to pour into this country,” Landry said on Jan. 25.
Georgia
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that “[Abbott] and the state of Texas have our full support” in the ongoing border security fight with the Democrat in the White House
“Enough is enough. Our southern border is in crisis thanks to the Biden administration’s refusal to do their job,” Kemp wrote on Jan. 24.
Utah
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed thanks to Texas and Abbott “for stepping up where the Biden Administration has failed over and over again.”
“The border is a disaster that continues to spiral out of control, both in terms of people and deadly fentanyl traffic. This is not a partisan issue. This is a national security issue. This is a common sense issue. This is an American issue,” he wrote on X on Jan. 24.
Virginia
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his state “stands with Texas” and has since he deployed Virginia National Guard members to the Lone Star State last year.
“[Abbott] is doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border,” Youngkin wrote on X shortly after Abbott posted his statement. “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.”
South Dakota
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced the same day Texas refused to back down to Biden’s bullying campaign that her state is “proud to help Gov. Abbott’s efforts to secure our border.”
“[Abbott] is exactly right to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend itself,” she wrote on X. “The Biden Administration has created a national security crisis and put Americans in danger. Their failure is an unconstitutional dereliction of duty.”
Noem was one of the 14 governors who committed last year to sending personnel from her state to help Texas quell the chaos down south.
Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was one of the first governors to express support for Abbott’s stand against the Biden administration.
“If the Constitution really made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it wouldn’t have been ratified in the first place and Texas would have never joined the union when it did,” he wrote on Jan. 24.
DeSantis, who offered Abbott hundreds of state personnel and dozens of other resources for border security in March of last year, confirmed in a Jan. 25 video that Texas has the right to defend itself.
Oklahoma
“Oklahoma stands with Texas,” Sooner State Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote on X on Jan. 24.
Stitt previously sent dozens of Oklahoma National Guard members on a tour to Texas to aid Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
Republican Governor’s Association
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also stood in “solidarity” with Abbott by joining the aforementioned governors in issuing a joint statement confirming states’ constitutional right to self-defense.
“The authors of the U.S. Constitution made clear that in times like this, states have a right of self-defense, under Article 4, Section 4 and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution,” the statement reads. “Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation.”
Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.
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