Although it often feels like Texas is out there fighting this battle on its own, more than two dozen states have declared their support for the Lone Star State in a battle that has sparked a national debate about state sovereignty.
The situation at the border grew even more tense this week when the Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal allowing the Biden administration to continue removing miles of razor wire that Texas officials installed along the border to block illegals from making their way into the U.S. after a lower court blocked them from cutting the wire.
An undeterred Governor Abbott has declared the crisis an “invasion,” invoking the authority granted to Texas by the U.S. Constitution to defend and protect itself.
He said: "That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. 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."
Despite the ruling, Texas continues to install razor wire, with Abbott writing on X that they are using it to “repel illegal immigration” because it is an “effective deterrent.”
Who is standing with Texas?
The governors of 25 states have publicly declared their support for Texas as it defends its right to enforce its own borders, something that every state in the nation is entitled to do under the Constitution.
The statement, which was released by the Republican Governor’s Association, declared: “We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border.”
It added: “We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.”
It was signed by all of the country's Republican state governors except for one. The only holdout was the governor of Vermont, Phil Scott, who has also admitted to voting for President Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
A handful of the governors who signed the statement have also issued their own individual messages of support for the state, and some have even offered to provide Texas with resources to help in its fight against illegal migrant crossings.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt suggested in a recent interview with Newsmax that the National Guards of other states with Republican governors, including Oklahoma, may be sent to Texas for reinforcement.
He said: “You've got Oklahoma and Florida and Tennessee, and you've got all these other states that would send our National Guard to help and to support the efforts of Governor Abbott, because every state is a border state.”
The governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, said that she would be willing to send National Guard officers to Texas to stand with them, adding that she has already done this in the past.
Similarly, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that his state would continue to support policies aimed at securing the border and added that Ohio's National Guard has had a “continuous presence on the border since October 2020.”
The level of support Texas is attracting is a testament to the growing sentiment in the U.S. that something must be done about the border crisis and to stem the flow of potential terrorists, human traffickers and other types of criminals into the country.
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