Governor Greg Abbott Is Right
The Lone Star State is perfectly within its rights to defend its own borders and enforce its own laws.
Under Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership, the Lone Star State confronts a national security crisis on a greater scale than any our nation has previously faced. This crisis, caused by the federal government’s flagrant neglect of border security, demands a fierce response. Governor Abbott’s unwavering commitment to Texas border security is both a fulfillment of his oath of office and his patriotic duty, rooted in the fundamental tenets of state sovereignty and the safety of American citizens.
Texas bears the brunt of America’s border security failures. The unchecked flow of undocumented immigrants and criminal elements across our porous borders has evolved into a national emergency. This situation has unleashed an avalanche of public safety concerns and humanitarian tragedies within our state, pushing the resources of both Texas and our nation to the brink.
Under the current administration, our nation has experienced record illegal immigration, terror watch list apprehensions, surging human trafficking, and countless deaths due to fentanyl-laced drugs streaming into American communities. Paramilitary cartels act as conduits for unconscionable crimes while the Biden White House is asleep at the wheel.
Despite this, the Biden administration continuously ignored the pleas of Governor Abbott, myself, and other Texans in Congress to declare a state of emergency at the southern border. In a decisive move to rectify these federal failures, Governor Abbott moved into the gap and launched Operation Lone Star. This initiative deploys Texas law enforcement and the Texas National Guard to reinforce our border, apprehend undocumented migrants, and stop the flow of narcotics.
A key strategy in this operation was the deployment of razor wire along critical border areas—a necessary measure to prevent illegal entries and protect Texas law enforcement. The recent Supreme Court decision ordering Texas to allow federal border agents access to the state’s border with Mexico is a blatant betrayal of Texas’s right to self-defense. Governor Abbott is right and fully within his constitutional powers to resist this unconscionable Supreme Court order. The crisis at our border transcends immigration policy, requiring a thorough legal analysis of the limits of state sovereignty against federal overreach.
The foundation of American federalism is dual sovereignty, a principle that creates distinct spheres of authority for both the federal government and the states. This principle is found in the 10th Amendment and further supported by the anti-commandeering doctrine, which the Supreme Court addressed in cases like Printz v. United States. According to this doctrine, the federal government cannot compel states to enforce federal law. Texas’s decision to implement border security measures falls squarely within its constitutional authority, as its actions are aimed at ensuring the safety and welfare of its residents.
Historical documents like the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, highlight states’ ability to refuse to comply with federal actions that overstep constitutional limits. Madison emphasized that states have the right to oppose unconstitutional breaches by any federal branch. The Founders believed states have the authority to counter federal actions that encroach on their sovereignty, especially on issues such as an invasion.
Operation Lone Star is an assertion of state sovereignty and a defense against judicial overreach. This resistance is all the more important as the federal government has abdicated its duty to defend the southern border from invasion. Texas’s action to step into the breach is not just a state’s prerogative, but a constitutional imperative.
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