White House officials declined to say whether President Biden had considered federalizing the Texas National Guard amid his clash with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
White House national security adviser John Kirby sidestepped questions on the subject during a brief exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. Abbott has used the Texas National Guard to prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from accessing certain areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Is the administration considering federalizing the Texas National Guard?” » asked a journalist on Thursday.
“We talked about this the other day,” Kirby began. “I don’t have any decision to make on behalf of the president. I don’t have anything on that.”
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White House officials declined to say whether President Biden had considered federalizing the Texas National Guard amid his clash with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
Abbott said Wednesday that the Biden administration has broken its federal compact with the state of Texas by allowing an “invasion” of illegal immigrants to cross the border.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, on Tuesday called on Biden to federalize the National Guard after it became clear that Abbott was not backing down.
“Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border. If Abbott defies yesterday’s Supreme Court decision, (Biden) must now establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard. Texas,” he wrote.
Abbott is waging multiple legal battles with the Biden administration, which has threatened legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass. Texas also filed lawsuits against the administration, which cut barbed wire installed by the state on the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from crossing illegally into Texas, as well as the installation of buoys on the river.
Abbott’s fiery statement Wednesday invoked America’s founding fathers and accused Biden of refusing to enforce the law.
Barbed wire is visible on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on January 12, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
FILE – Barbed wire is visible along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, September 27, 2023. (Benjamin Lowy for Fox News Digital)
“The executive branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting the states, including immigration laws currently on the books,” Abbott said. “President Biden has refused to enforce these laws and has even violated them.”
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“James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that states should not be left at the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats,” he added. .
