Texas Democrat calls on Biden to seize control of Texas National Guard

by Lauren Sforza - 01/24/24 3:06 PM ET

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) is calling on President Biden to take control of the Texas National Guard if the state defies a Supreme Court ruling that allows U.S. Border Patrol officers to take down the border barriers.

“Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border. If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, @POTUS needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now,” Castro wrote in a Tuesday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has been engaged in a months-long feud with the Biden administration over the situation at the border. Abbott has maintained that Biden is not doing enough to address border security, while the Biden administration has said Texas does not have the authority to erect razor wire barriers.

Abbott said in a statement Wednesday that Biden has “ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties” and that Texas has declared an invasion, which will 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,” he said.

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The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday to allow U.S. Border Patrol agents to remove the razor wire on the border wall placed by Texas law enforcement. The ruling came as tensions between Texas and the federal government continued to rise in recent weeks.

Despite the ruling, Abbott has said that the Texas National Guard will continue to install the razor wire along the border in a post on X. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) also urged Texas to ignore the Supreme Court ruling earlier this week.

“Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies. We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration,” Abbott said.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) criticized Abbott for ordering more razor wire to be installed after the ruling.

“Greg Abbott’s latest stunt after yesterday’s Supreme Court order is malicious, unconstitutional, & against Texas values. Our country needs Congress to create a safer, humane, & more orderly immigration system — not razor wire to cut innocent people or laws that attack families,” he wrote on X.

The Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety earlier this month installed fences and razor wire in a riverside park in Eagle Pass, Texas, which state law enforcement also prevented Border Patrol officers from accessing.

Three migrants — two children and one woman — drowned in the Rio Grande just outside the park earlier this month. Border Patrol agents said the Texas National Guard prevented them from accessing the area to aid the migrants, but Texas has denied the accusation.

The Hill has reached out to Abbott’s office and Castro’s office for additional comment.