The Lone Star State has a posse: Governors and state officials across the nation and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are among those who have sided with Texas in its standoff with the Biden administration over the southern border.
The governor argued that Texas must now exercise a right to self-defense against a record-breaking influx of illegal immigrants crossing its border under the Biden administration.
Citing those examples, Mr. Abbott said he had “already declared an invasion under Article 1, [Sec.] 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.”
Republican Officials in Solidarity
A show of support from Republican officials elsewhere in the nation flooded X overnight. They came after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte voiced support for Texas on Jan. 23, before Mr. Abbott released his defiant Jan. 24 statement.Mr. Johnson also declared his support for the governor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently dropped out of the presidential race, likewise backed Mr. Abbott. He said his state would “keep assisting Texas with personnel and assets.”
“Virginia stands with Texas,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote on X on Jan. 24.
On Jan. 25, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice wrote on X, “We support [Gov. Abbott] and the State of Texas.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, and Oklahoma Gov. Ken Stitt, along with Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) are among the public officials across the country who have expressed solidarity with Texas.
Critics of the move include cultural commentator and mathematician James Lindsay.
“Bad feelings about this. Hope I’m wrong,” he wrote on X.
Former President Donald J. Trump hasn’t yet weighed in on Truth Social—and neither Mr. Mayorkas nor President Joe Biden has commented on the developing situation on X.
But Stephen Miller, an immigration policy adviser under the first Trump administration, has commented, defending the move as well.
The relevant language in Article 4 of the Constitution reads, “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who, in Iowa, was an active surrogate for Mr. DeSantis, has also sided with his home state.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) has called on the president to seize control of the Texas National Guard.