(NewsNation) — Republican governors in half of the U.S. have backed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he doubles down on his defiance of a Supreme Court ruling allowing federal agents to remove razor wire that the state installed along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite SCOTUS’s ruling, Texas has vowed to “hold the line” and add more wire “to deter and prevent unlawful entry” into the state.
Now, 25 GOP governors have united, releasing a statement of solidarity with Abbott for “stepping up to protect American citizens from history levels of illegal immigration, deadly drugs like fentanyl and terrorists entering our country.”
They also criticized President Joe Biden’s border policies, stating the U.S. remains vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration. Figures released by Customs and Border Protection on Friday show there were 302,034 encounters at the southern border in December, a record monthly high.
This comes as Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., introduced legislation — the Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders Act, or RAZOR Act — to ban the government from removing border barriers built by Texas or any other state.
Additionally, former President Donald Trump released a statement encouraging “all willing states” to deploy National Guard troops to Texas to stop what he describes as an “invasion.”
“In the face of this National Security, Public Safety, and Public Health Catastrophe, Texas has rightly invoked the Invasion Clause of the Constitution, and must be given full support to repel the invasion,” Trump said.
He added: “We encourage all willing states to deploy their guards to Texas to prevent the entry of illegals, and to remove them back across the border.”
The Biden administration has not yet responded to NewsNation’s request for comment.
However, some Democrats have called for Biden to nationalize the Texas National Guard, which would force officers to follow the SCOTUS decision and federal law.
“Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas wrote in a post on X. “If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now.”
The Department of Homeland Security has argued that the razor wire impacts Border Patrol agents trying to help migrants in need and can complicate apprehensions.
Abbott claims the razor wire helps secure the border. Additionally, Texas officials have argued federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing.