Texas Governor Defies Biden, Supreme Court on the Southern Border

Eddie Gaspar | The Texas Tribune

Defying both the President of the United States and United States Supreme Court, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has declared that he will continue to place razor wire barriers along the Texas-Mexico border. 

Abbot’s declaration is a stunning act of defiance and a betrayal of his party’s alleged “law and order” values.

Texas had been placing physical barriers and razor wire along the southern border in an attempt to deter the surge of undocumented migrants. 

In October 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration when Border Patrol cut through concertina wire along the Rio Grande to arrest migrants on U.S. soil. 

In turn, the Biden administration demanded the barriers be removed or that Border Patrol be given access to the southern border.

The case quickly made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 in favor of the federal government.

Despite this, Abbott ordered the Texas National Guard to continue deploying physical barriers and razor wire along the border, claiming that “President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress,” “has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.” 

Citing Article Founding Fathers James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, Abbott declares Texas has a “Constitutional authority to defend and protect itself” which “supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”

Democratic lawmakers, in turn, have urged President Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard and end Abbott’s defiance.