Six House Democrats from Texas called on the Biden administration to exercise federal authority against GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s declaration of an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Thursday, the Democrats said Abbott’s declaration violates the Constitution by illegally usurping federal authority.
“As members of Congress representing the great state of Texas, we are deeply disturbed with recent comments made by the Governor of Texas suggesting he has invoked invasion authorities under the U.S. Constitution to justify the use of state resources to further militarize our southern border,” wrote the members in the letter organized by Rep. Sylvia Garcia.
“As such, we write to urge the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to intervene in the ongoing efforts of the Texas Governor to usurp the federal government’s power to manage international relations and immigration law,” they added.
On Tuesday, Abbott declared via Twitter a series of measures, including deploying “gun boats” on the Rio Grande and declaring Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, invoking “the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. & Texas Constitutions.”
The move ruffled feathers on both sides of the border.
The Mexican government on Tuesday released a statement rebuffing Abbott and put its consulate system on watch for “the violation of the rights [of Mexican citizens] by any authority.”
“In the United States the implementation of migratory laws, border control and the negotiation of international agreements are exclusive authorities of the federal government, which is why bilateral dialogue on those issues between our countries takes place only at that level,” the Mexican foreign ministry said in its release.
“The measures announced by the governor, in any case, can be understood as political measures.”
In their letter, the Texas Democrats also downplayed Abbott’s language.
“Legal authority aside, there is simply not an invasion happening at the border. Many of the immigrants arriving at our border are exercising their right to claim asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief. They are not waging war against the United States or Texas,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Texas lawmakers added that the U.S. Constitution “prohibits states from engaging in activities that implicate international affairs.”
They said that labeling a migrant phenomenon as an invasion could have lethal consequences.
“Declaring an invasion under the U.S. Constitution is an incendiary and divisive idea that will certainly lead to unnecessary litigation and will encourage dangerous anti-immigrant sentiments,” they wrote.
“Put simply, this type of reckless stunt will only continue to put Latino communities at risk of greater violence.”
Texas has a long history of anti-Mexican violence, including widespread persecutions by law enforcement authorities like the Texas Rangers well into the 20th century.
During Abbott’s time as governor, the state saw the 2019 El Paso shooting, the single most deadly anti-Hispanic mass shooting in the country’s history.
Along with Garcia, Texas Democratic Reps. Al Green, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Veronica Escobar, Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett signed the letter.
“We hope you share our same sense of urgency and act accordingly to mitigate the consequences of this reckless course of action,” the lawmakers wrote.