Texas Governor Greg Abbott Defiant: Texas Has Constitutional Right to Self-Defense

[Biden Treason]

Things on the southern border are bad, and they are getting worse.
The Biden administration is enabling this, and at least one border-
state governor has had enough. On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg
Abbott issued a statement putting the Biden administration on notice
over illegal immigration.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEoV81DWwAA85zy?format=jpg&name=large

Nobody with the sense of a stuffed armadillo can deny that the Biden
administration's border policies have been a calamity. A few points
in Governor Abbott's statement, though, merit some serious
consideration, not just in light of the immigration problem but in
the sense that there is a constitutional crisis in the offing. The
governor writes:

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. President Biden
has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The
result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.

Despite having been put on notice in a series of letters - one of
which I delivered to him by hand - President Biden has ignored
Texas's demand that he perform his constitutional duties.

Note the language here; the governor is striking a defiant tone, not
least of which is his deliberate use of the term "illegal
immigration" rather than the squishy "migrants" or "undocumented
immigrants." It looks like Governor Abbott has had enough. He has a
lot of company.

What's more, Governor Abbott is citing the Constitution to back up
his claim:

The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties
imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3,
which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these
reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10,
Clause 3 to invoke Texas's constitutional authority to defend and
protect itself. 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.

In the Constitution, Article I, § 10, Clause 3 states:

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of
Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into
any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign
Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such
imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Governor Abbott is referring to the "unless actually invaded"
clause; he has declared an invasion and intends to continue using
whatever means Texas can muster to stop the endless influx of
illegal aliens. When one looks at the state of the southern border,
it's hard to deny the invasion part of his complaint.


This is very likely to provoke a constitutional crisis, the likes of
which have not been seen since 1860. The Supreme Court has
inexplicably ruled that Texas must stand aside and allow federal
forces to remove the barriers Texas has put in place to try to stem
the flood; Texas is showing every sign of channeling Andrew Jackson
and stating, "The Court has made their decision, now let them
enforce it."

Think about the implications of this. What happens if there is a
confrontation between Texas and federal forces? What happens if
shots are exchanged? What happens if someone on either side is
injured or killed? That would be, candidly, like unto a second Fort
Sumter.

Illegal immigration isn't just something that affects Texas or the
border states. It's a national issue. The Biden administration has
deliberately allowed over six million illegal aliens to invade U.S.
territory. In most cases, we have very little idea who any of the
people are who are coming in; we have no idea where they are going
or what they intend to do when they get there. One of them made a
very direct threat and was still allowed in.

This, incidentally, will be the issue in this fall's presidential
election.

Texas is stepping in where Washington, D.C., has failed to act, and
they have a pretty clear constitutional avenue to justify their
actions. Other states may well join in. These are uncharted waters,
and the only thing we can know for certain is that neither side
seems willing to back down.

https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/01/24/texas-governor-greg-
abbott-defiant-texas-has-constitutional-right-to-self-defense-
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