Gov. Abbott Stands His Ground

[Free Vulcan]

Doesn't Texas have a State Guard that's strictly under the control of the Gov?

[mystery-ak]

Headline only on Fox..it's a VIP article...


Border Patrol has 'no plans' to remove razor wire set up by Texas amid feud with Biden admin

Texas and the federal government are battling over border security


 By Adam Shaw , Griff Jenkins Fox News
Published January 26, 2024 4:05pm EST

[Ghost Bear]

Doesn't Texas have a State Guard that's strictly under the control of the Gov?

Yes, the Texas State Guard. And yes, they are a part of Operation Lone Star, which is the official name for the border protection operation.

[libertybele]

Headline only on Fox..it's a VIP article...


Border Patrol has 'no plans' to remove razor wire set up by Texas amid feud with Biden admin

Texas and the federal government are battling over border security


 By Adam Shaw , Griff Jenkins Fox News
Published January 26, 2024 4:05pm EST

Border Patrol has 'no plans' to remove razor wire set up by Texas amid feud with Biden admin

Border Patrol has "no plans" to remove razor wire placed by Texas along the southern border, a senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official told Fox News on Friday, stressing a "strong" relationship with Texas despite an ongoing legal battle between the state and the administration.

Texas is currently locked in a multi-pronged legal fight with the federal government over the security of the Texas-Mexico border. The federal government has threatened legal action over Texas’ recent seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, while lawsuits are ongoing over the administration’s cutting of razor wire set up by Texas and the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande. Texas has declared that it has a right to "self-defense" against what it says is a migrant "invasion."

On Monday, the Supreme Court found in the administration's favor when it granted an emergency appeal to allow agents to keep cutting border wire set up by Texas after a lower court had blocked such moves. Texas has continued to fortify the border, and has also indicated it will not comply with the administration’s demands for it to vacate the Shelby Park area.

"[President Biden's] actions have caused an unprecedented invasion that we must defend against," Abbott said on Thursday.

The Biden administration has said that Texas is interfering with the federal enforcement of immigration law.

"Enforcement of immigration law is a federal responsibility," a DHS spokesperson said this week. "Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for frontline personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law.  We can enforce our laws and administer them safely, humanely, and in an orderly way."

Dozens of Republican governors have backed Texas as the feud between the state and the feds escalates. But a senior CBP official told Fox that the relationship between Texas and Border Patrol officials on the ground is "strong."...........

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-has-no-plans-remove-razor-wire-set-up-texas-amid-feud-biden-admin

[libertybele]

Texas National Guard soldiers wait nearby the boat ramp where law enforcement enter the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on January 26, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. 

[mystery-ak]

White House chides 25 GOP governors backing Abbott in border dispute
By
Christian Datoc
January 26, 2024 3:35 pm

The White House discounted a letter signed by Republican governors in support of Gov. Greg Abbott‘s (R-TX) directive at the southern border.

President Joe Biden is locked in a battle with Abbott and House Republican lawmakers over what the administration has claimed are “political stunts” surrounding the immigration debate.

On Thursday, 25 additional Republican governors backed Abbott, specifically his decision to deploy razor wire and mobilize the Texas National Guard to secure the border.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre flipped a question about Abbott’s backers into a familiar critique of House Republicans, whom for days the White House has accused of getting in the way of bipartisan negotiations on border security and additional Ukraine aid in the Senate.

“I would say to them that if they truly want to help with the issue, with the border, with the immigration system, that they need to talk to their — they need to talk to the congressional members, the senators in their states,” she said. “That’s what they need to do. They need to ask them to make sure that they have the resources they need in their respective states to take action, right to actually deal with a broken system.”

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/2821168/white-house-chides-25-gop-governors-abbott-border-dispute/

[mystery-ak]

HUGE: Border Patrol Turns on Joe Biden, Proclaims Support for Texas National Guard
Bonchie

Is there going to be a major confrontation on the border following Joe Biden's ultimatum that Texas National Guard forces be removed from Shelby Park and other "disputed" areas? Not if the rank-and-file of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have anything to say about it.

According to a new post put out by the Border Patrol Union, and a new report from Griff Jenkins of Fox News, Biden has lost operational control of the situation, at least in a practical sense.

The Biden administration had initially warned Texas that it had until mid-day Friday to relinquish control of Shelby Park, the nearby boat dock, and the International Bridge. That deadline has now come and gone, and instead of there being a major clash between the Border Patrol and the state-controlled soldiers on site, it appears those on the ground have already de-escalated the situation.

The Border Patrol Union ends by slamming Biden for creating the current "catastrophe" and reiterating that there will be no conflict between CBP agents and state forces. The statement is a clear signal of support for the Texas National Guard, its mission, and those leading it, including Gov. Greg Abbott.

    Rank-and-file BP agents appreciate and respect what TX has been doing to defend their state in the midst of this catastrophe that the Biden Admin has unleashed on America.

    We want to be perfectly clear, there is no fight between rank-and-file BP agents and the TX NG, Gov. Abbott, or TX DPS. It may make flashy headlines, but it simply isn't true.

Furthering the division between the Border Patrol and the White House was a senior CBP official who said they have no plans to follow through on removing the razor wire put up by Texas. Biden has completely lost whatever leverage he had.

This is an incredible turn of events. I don't know if "mutiny" is the right word here, but clearly, Biden has no way to enforce his threats at this point. Border Patrol agents are not going to go along with it and short of using the Insurrection Act to mobilize the U.S. Army (and they likely wouldn't act either), this represents a major roadblock to the president's attempts to further destroy the Southern border.

We are in uncharted territory right now, and I'm certainly thankful cooler heads have prevailed, at least at this point. Will this force Biden's hand toward some kind of renewal of enforcement of immigration laws? Surely, with his bluff having been called by his own law enforcement officials, he has to try a different approach. Never underestimate the propensity of Washington politicians to keep making the wrong decisions, though.

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/01/26/huge-border-patrol-turns-on-joe-biden-proclaim-support-for-texas-national-guard-n2169256

[Smokin Joe]

End Wokeness
@EndWokeness
10 states with the most guns per capita:

1. Montana (66.4% of adults)
2. Wyoming (66% of adults)
3. Alaska (64.5% of adults)
4. Idaho (60.1% of adults)
5. WV (58.5% of adults)
6. AR (57.2% of adults)
7. MS (56.3% of adults)
8. AL (55.2% of adults)
9. SD (55.1% of adults)
10. ND (55% of adults)

All 10 of these states support the Texas Border Resistance against the federal government.
7:36 AM · Jan 26, 2024

Keep in mind that those are known guns or affirmative responses to polls. There is a contingent out there who will not comment on ownership of firearms, including taking polls. Assume the actual numbers are even higher.

[Smokin Joe]

This is starting to look like civil war isn't it?

More like Athens, Tenn. writ large.

[libertybele]

Keep in mind that those are known guns or affirmative responses to polls. There is a contingent out there who will not comment on ownership of firearms, including taking polls. Assume the actual numbers are even higher.

Here is 2023 gun ownership by state.  I was really shocked that FL ranked so low at only %28.  That's terrible and concerning.

https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/gun-ownership-by-state/

[mountaineer]

Keep in mind that those are known guns or affirmative responses to polls. There is a contingent out there who will not comment on ownership of firearms, including taking polls. Assume the actual numbers are even higher.

There is an alarming number of boating incidents, I must say.

[mystery-ak]

Turley Explains Which Party Has ‘Upper Hand’ In Texas-Biden Showdown. It Comes Down To One Word


Brianna Lyman
News and Commentary Writer
January 26, 2024 11:21 AM ET


Fox News contributor and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley argued Friday that the federal government has the “upper hand” in the ongoing showdown between Texas and the Biden administration.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Monday, agreed to vacate an injunction that temporarily blocked Border Patrol from cutting wire Texas had placed along the border.

The ruling does not require Texas to take any action to remove the wire fencing at the behest of the Supreme Court. Rather, the ruling states that federal border patrol agents have the right to remove the fencing if it impedes their ability to carry out the Biden Administration’s orders.

Turley first began by arguing that the open border crisis is a “violation of the understanding between the federal government and the states,” adding the federal government has not “fulfilled its pledge.”

“The problem is that federal courts are unlikely to agree that this is the ‘invasion’ referenced in the Constitution. There’s also a reference to ‘imminent danger’ and certainly looking at hundreds of thousands of people crossing, an effectively, open border presents an imminent danger, but the courts are likely to define that in the context of that provision in the context of an invasion by – as with a foreign state. So I think Texas is going to have a hard time making that constitutional argument in court,” Turley said.

more
https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/26/turley-biden-texas-showdown-invasion/

[mystery-ak]

Here is 2023 gun ownership by state.  I was really shocked that FL ranked so low at only %28.  That's terrible and concerning.

https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/gun-ownership-by-state/

This can't be true...I don't believe these numbers...hell, they must be just counting Chicago

Gun Ownership Rate in Il

22.6%

Ranked in the US

#42

Registered Gun Rate

11.4 per 1k

[Smokin Joe]

This can't be true...I don't believe these numbers...hell, they must be just counting Chicago

Gun Ownership Rate in Il

22.6%

Ranked in the US

#42

Registered Gun Rate

11.4 per 1k

Which was my point. These are only those guns counted. From pre-GCA of '68 Arms, home built firearms, and a host of others which even law-abiding owners of record will likely under count out of distrust of Government, I would wager there are many more that are not on the books.

[Elderberry]

Protest Convoy Headed to Southern Border Is Calling Itself an ‘Army of God’

Vice News by Tess Owen 1/26/2024

Experts say that the Christian nationalist rhetoric adds a dangerous dimension to the standoff between Texas and the Federal Government.

A trucker convoy of “patriots” is heading to the U.S. border with Mexico next week, as the standoff between Texas and the federal government intensifies.
The organizers of the “Take Our Border Back” convoy have called themselves “God’s army” and say they’re on a mission to stand up against the “globalists” who they claim are conspiring to keep U.S. borders open and destroy the country.

“This is a biblical, monumental moment that’s been put together by God,” one convoy organizer said on a recent planning call. “We are besieged on all sides by dark forces of evil,” said another. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. It is time for the remnant to rise.” (The remnant, from the Book of Revelation, are the ones who remain faithful to Jesus Christ in times of crisis).

Experts say that the Christian nationalist overtones in this rhetoric adds a dangerous dimension to an already fraught situation.

“When people believe that they are working on behalf of God, they might be willing to resort to relatively extreme measures,” said Ruth Braunstein, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and author of “Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide.”  ”And so you have a politically volatile situation that could become much more so, in part because of this rhetoric.”

The organizers current plan is for the convoy to depart Virginia Beach on Monday and snake down through the southeast, stopping over in Jacksonville, Florida before making its way to several stops along the border. The convoy will then split up for separate rallies on Feb. 3, one near Eagle Pass, Texas, a second in Yuma, Arizona, and a third in San Ysidro, California.

A group of six patriot-world influencers, including Kim Yeater, who runs a self-empowerment self-help group and an anti-voter fraud group, started organizing the convoy around a month ago. “God’s army is rising up,” she said on the planning call. “We all have been chosen for this time.”

The convoy was originally intended to send a message to the Biden Administration: “Secure Our Borders.” Its website calls on “all active & retired law enforcement and military, veterans, mama bears, elected officials, business owners, ranchers, truckers, bikers, media and LAW ABIDING, freedom-loving Americans,” to join the cause.

But recent events have significantly raised the stakes for the convoy. Two weeks ago the Texas National Guard seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas—an epicenter of unauthorized border crossings—and erected razor wire around it, effectively limiting Border Patrol’s access to the area. It was an act of aggression in a simmering dispute between Texas and the federal government over who has jurisdictional authority over the border.

More: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d9adk/trucker-convoy-eagle-pass-texas-border-dispute-christian-nationalism

[Elderberry]

As Texas faces potential federal standoff, state AG says border looks like Biden 'cut a deal with cartels'

Fox News By Charles Creitz 1/26/2024

State militias or national guards had previously been federalized under Eisenhower and Washington

As Texas faces a potential standoff between state National Guard forces and federal Border Patrol on the border in Eagle Pass, the state's top lawman said the crisis gives the impression President Biden "cut a deal" with the cartels controlling parts of the boundary.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told Fox News on Thursday he is not entirely sure what Biden's next move will be after the Supreme Court signaled the feds could take down razor wire in state-controlled Shelby Park, while not explicitly prohibiting Gov. Greg Abbott from reinstalling it.

"As far as a showdown, I don't know what Joe Biden is going to do. So far, it seems like every decision he's made has been a bad decision for our country," Paxton said.

"He is cooperating — not just cooperating, but he's literally in partnership with these cartels."

Paxton said that under previous presidents, illegal immigrants and cartel smugglers would hide from Border Patrol, fearing consequences including deportation.

But, under Biden, members of transnational criminal organizations actively seek out Border Patrol so that they are put into the veritable pipeline of foreign nationals dispersed into the country, he suggested.

More: https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-faces-potential-federal-standoff-state-ag-border-looks-like-biden-cut-deal-cartels

[Elderberry]

Governor pledges to ship razor wire to Texas if Biden stops Abbott

Fox News By Charles Creitz 1/26/2024

Noem says governors are commanders-in-chief, too

A Republican governor of an interior state pledged to drive in razor wire on the border herself if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stopped by President Biden or federal forces from retaining operational control of a park in Eagle Pass.

Meanwhile, the U.S. congressman who represents the area warned Biden would be an "idiot" to commence a standoff or worse with Texas National Guard members now using the park, as parallels were drawn to the last instance of National Guard federalization 67 years ago.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told Fox News that Abbott is doing the right thing by standing firm after a Supreme Court ruling in which two conservative justices sided with the liberals to vacate a lower court's order preventing U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing the park, which has reportedly been a high-traffic illegal migrant arcade. The court’s decision allows Border Patrol agents to cut concertina wire that Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues.

"I'll drive in more razor wire from South Dakota if I have to, for [Abbott] to do his job," Noem told "America Reports."

"What people forget is that governors are commanders-in-chief. We're responsible for the men and women of our National Guard. It's a heavy responsibility that weighs on our shoulders, and so we never engage our National Guard soldiers and those men and women unless it's incredibly important."

In defying the order, Abbott said earlier this week the federal executive branch has a constitutional duty to enforce laws protecting states, and that the Founders intended for states not to be victim to the whims of a "lawless president."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also indicated they stand with Abbott.

Noem said that, despite being hundreds of miles north of Mexico, she long ago declared the border a "war zone," and has sent her state's guard to deployments at the border multiple times to do the Biden administration's job.

She added that the agents under Biden's control similarly don't support their own boss' lax handling of the crisis.

More: https://www.foxnews.com/media/governor-pledges-ship-border-razor-wire-biden-stops-abbott

[Elderberry]

Texas AG says state not backing down from Shelby Park takeover in Eagle Pass

Border Report by  Sandra Sanchez 1/26/2024

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — As the Friday night deadline approached for a Homeland Security request for the State of Texas to open up Shelby Park in Eagle Pass to federal authorities, the state’s attorney general shot back a letter saying they aren’t backing down.

In a letter Friday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton disputed a claim by DHS officials in a previous letter that federal authorities have rights to Shelby Park lands that were established during the building border barrier in 2008.

“Your own map shows that most of the tracts you reference fall outside the perimeter area secured by Texas at Shelby Park,” Paxton wrote in the three-page letter to DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer.

“With respect to parcels identified in your maps that are actually in the vicinity of the park, publicly available records suggest the United States does not even purport to own what your latest letter claims … Based on our necessarily cursory review, current records from Maverick County do not support that claim,” Paxton wrote.

This is the second time Paxton has told federal officials that Texas will not relinquish the border park.

Meyer on Tuesday sent a letter to Paxton demanding access to the park. Border Report obtained a copy of the letter, in which Meyer requested that the state evacuate control of the park by Friday night.

In his Tuesday letter, Meyer claimed the City of Eagle Pass had given a “perpetual easement” to federal officials in 2018 of the park’s boat ramp and road leading to the ramp.

But Paxton wrote: “Texas never approved that transaction,” under the state’s Constitution. “Your federal federal agency cannot have something that was not the City’s to give.”

“This office will continue to defend Texas’s efforts to protect its southern border against every effort by the Biden Administration to undermine the State’s constitutional right of self defense,” Paxton wrote.

More: https://www.borderreport.com/news/politics/texas-ag-says-state-not-backing-down-from-shelby-park-takeover-in-eagle-pass/

[libertybele]

Governor pledges to ship razor wire to Texas if Biden stops Abbott

Fox News By Charles Creitz 1/26/2024

Noem says governors are commanders-in-chief, too

A Republican governor of an interior state pledged to drive in razor wire on the border herself if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stopped by President Biden or federal forces from retaining operational control of a park in Eagle Pass.

Meanwhile, the U.S. congressman who represents the area warned Biden would be an "idiot" to commence a standoff or worse with Texas National Guard members now using the park, as parallels were drawn to the last instance of National Guard federalization 67 years ago.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told Fox News that Abbott is doing the right thing by standing firm after a Supreme Court ruling in which two conservative justices sided with the liberals to vacate a lower court's order preventing U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing the park, which has reportedly been a high-traffic illegal migrant arcade. The court’s decision allows Border Patrol agents to cut concertina wire that Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues.

"I'll drive in more razor wire from South Dakota if I have to, for [Abbott] to do his job," Noem told "America Reports."

"What people forget is that governors are commanders-in-chief. We're responsible for the men and women of our National Guard. It's a heavy responsibility that weighs on our shoulders, and so we never engage our National Guard soldiers and those men and women unless it's incredibly important."

In defying the order, Abbott said earlier this week the federal executive branch has a constitutional duty to enforce laws protecting states, and that the Founders intended for states not to be victim to the whims of a "lawless president."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also indicated they stand with Abbott.

Noem said that, despite being hundreds of miles north of Mexico, she long ago declared the border a "war zone," and has sent her state's guard to deployments at the border multiple times to do the Biden administration's job.

She added that the agents under Biden's control similarly don't support their own boss' lax handling of the crisis.

More: https://www.foxnews.com/media/governor-pledges-ship-border-razor-wire-biden-stops-abbott

I love it!  I have no doubt that Noem would bring in more razor wire! Good for her. 

As I have stated several times -- it is important to seat as many conservative governors as possible, and this is exactly why.

[Elderberry]

Tucker Carlson
@TuckerCarlson

In an interview from India, Gov. Greg Abbott says ten other states have sent national guard to the Texas border, and others will follow. Abbott says he is “prepared” for a conflict with federal authorities.

https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1750943686567834008

[LMAO]

As I have stated several times -- it is important to seat as many conservative governors as possible, and this is exactly why.

If the Republican party is going to be reborn, it need to start locally and in the states

We’re gonna need these governors in a Biden second term

[Elderberry]

People's Convoy 2.0: Huge cavalcade of TRUCKERS will head to border hotspots in bid to shame Biden administration into cracking down on migration crisis

Daily Mail by  Maryann Martinez, Texas Bureau Chief In Eagle Pass 1/26/2024

•   Truckers are planning to make stops in Eagle Pass, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; San Ysidro, California-- all illegal immigrant crossing hot spots
•    Biden Administration gave Texas until today, Jan. 26, to return


A massive convoy of truckers will make its way to three migrant hotspots across three states in a bid to shame the White House into tackling the worsening crisis.

Hundreds - possibly thousands - of big rigs will head for Eagle Pass in Texas, Yuma in Arizona and San Ysidro in California from January 29 for the four day 'Take Back Our Border' event.

They hope the eye-catching, all-American protest will draw further attention to record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border and into the US, with multiple cities now buckling under the weight of trying to care for them.

Congressman Keith Self, a Republican representative from Texas said: 'Once again, the truckers are standing for We the People.

'The time is NOW to take action and secure our borders!'

The development is the latest in an increasingly heated and chaotic political fight over whether Texas can ignore or supersede the federal government-- as Gov. Greg Abbott accuses the Biden Administration of not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the Lone Star State.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling on Monday in favor of the Biden Administration that Border Patrol agents can cut razor wire placed at the border (placed there by Texas) if they feel the need to, Texas is doubling down.

The state added more wire fencing, a is refusing to give up control of a Eagle Pass park it seized control of on Jan. 10.

Bizarrely, a golf course remains open in the park for locals to enjoy the genteel pastime - while federally-employed Border Patrol agents are barred. 

The feds have given the state a deadline of Jan. 26 to allow Border Patrol agents, were have been banned from the park, access to Shelby Park.

It's unknown what, if anything, will happen if Texas refuses to comply with the federal government by Friday, but San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro ratcheted up the language-- suggesting Biden use force.

But Texas has plenty of support, with 25 governors from Republican states releasing letters backing up Abbott.

'I think the border has now reached a boiling point, that you now see governors getting involved,' Self told Fox Business News.

'We have a trucker convoy coming down to the border. The American people are going to have to get involved.'

More: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/texas/article-13011335/Huge-convoy-TRUCKERS-head-border-hotspots-bid-shame-Biden-administration-cracking-migration-crisis.html

[Smokin Joe]

I'm expecting a Fidel Trudeau style response from this lawless regime.

I am expecting incidents designed (yes, designed) to provoke violent outcomes.

That way the Red States resisting invasion can be declared in rebellion, some Martial Law proclamation made, and subjugation would be complete (well, except for the war).

Biden has been threatening to use those F-15s for a while now. like it's some sort of itch he has.

[Elderberry]

1 million truck convoy ( Take Back our border)

Trucking Life with Shawn

A trucker convoy of is heading to the U.S. border with Mexico next week, as the standoff between Texas and the federal government intensifies. The organizers of the “Take Our Border Back” convoy have called themselves “God’s army” and say they’re on a mission to stand up against the “globalists” who they claim are conspiring to keep U.S. borders open and destroy the country.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJFy9egmBrI

[Elderberry]

Key senators cut deal to give US new power to clamp down on border crossings

By Manu Raju, CNN 1/26/2024

 Under the soon-to-be-released package, the Department of Homeland Security would be granted new emergency authority to shut down the border if daily average migrant encounters reach 4,000 over a one-week span. If migrant crossings increase above 5,000 on average per day on a given week, DHS would be required to close the border to migrants crossing illegally not entering at ports of entry. Certain migrants would be allowed to stay if they prove to be fleeing torture or persecution in their countries.

Moreover, if crossings exceed 8,500 in a single day, DHS would be required to close the border to migrants illegally crossing the border. Under the proposal, any migrant who tries to cross the border twice while it is closed would be banned from entering the US for one year.

The goal of the trio of negotiators – GOP Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut – is to prevent surges that overwhelm federal authorities. The Biden administration and Senate leaders have been heavily involved in the talks, and more details of the deal are expected to be released in the coming days.

More: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/26/politics/senate-deal-shutdown-border/index.html