The Texas governor said that recent suggestions to federalize state National Guards could backfire.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that suggestions to federalize state National Guards would be a severe “political blunder” on behalf of the Biden administration in the midst of a legal battle over U.S.–Mexico border enforcement.
Last week, the legal fight escalated after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5–4 decision that favored the Biden administration, allowing federal agents to cut razor wire set up under Texas’ Operation Lone Star. Texas National Guard members were involved in setting up the razor wire along the border, which top state officials say is effective in deterring illegal immigration.
“This is the No. 1 issue in America. Americans want a secure border. If Joe Biden federalizes our National Guard, that would be the biggest political blunder that you can make, and that’s why I think he will not do it,” Mr. Abbott, a Republican, told Fox News’s Sean Hannity on Monday night.
He added, “I am prepared in the event that they do make such a blunder to make sure that Texas will be able to continue to secure our border.”
In a separate comment on social media, the governor cited a poll that found about 70 percent of Americans back Texas setting up barriers at the border to curb illegal immigration, adding that 53 percent strongly support it. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that only 27 percent disagreed with the move.
After the Supreme Court ruling, the Texas National Guard was seen installing more razor wire near the border, although some legal analysts have said that the high court’s ruling only dealt with the removal or cutting of the wire—not whether or not the state could keep placing it there.
Some Democrats, including 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, have suggested that President Joe Biden should move to nationalize the National Guard, drawing strong pushback from Republicans. Mr. O’Rourke and the other Democrats have said Texas’ continued attempts to install the wire is tantamount to a constitutional crisis.
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