GOP lawmakers back Texas’ defiance of Supreme Court’s ruling on the border

A growing number of Republicans are encouraging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to flout a Supreme Court ruling that allows the Biden administration to remove razor wire installed by the Texas National Guard along the border to deter migrants.

Abbott’s administration has placed the wire along the border as part of Operation Lone Star, the governor’s cruel anti-immigration initiative. In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration in holding that the federal government can remove the wire.

In response, Abbott posted a defiant statement online, repeating Texas’ bogus argument that immigration under the Biden administration constitutes an “invasion” that essentially allows Texas to establish its own immigration laws. “That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary,” Abbott claimed. He later shared a post saying the Texas National Guard would “hold the line.”

Offering their public support for Abbott’s adversarial position are several Republican governors, including Florida’s Ron DeSantis, Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin, Georgia’s Brian Kemp and Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt. And a handful of congressional Republicans have endorsed Abbott’s defiance, as well. That includes House Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, who claimed “the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.”

Video from Wednesday showed Texas National Guard members installing more wire.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, responded to Abbott’s continued activity on the border by urging the Biden administration to “establish sole control of the Texas National Guard” if it’s discovered it’s not complying with the court’s ruling. (Read more on how that process works here.)

Abbott’s hostility to the federal government — and his support among other Republican governors — is worrying. Some conservative extremists online seem eager for a violent faceoff between federal officials and the Texas National Guard, calling for “civil war” and “secession” in response to the Supreme Court ruling.

It’s a volatile situation of Texas Republicans’ making, with the potential of escalating into violence. At least from their rhetoric, that’s what some conservatives want.