Louisiana lawmaker accuses Biden administration of “staging civil war” with removal order targeting Texas border razor wire
Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) has accused President Biden of “staging civil war” by asking the Supreme Court to intervene and allow them to have Border Patrol agents cut down razor wire installed by the state of Texas at the border with Mexico to deter illegal immigrants from crossing.
In a post on X, he posed a question about the ruling to himself and then shared his answer, writing:
“Media: ‘Congressman Higgins, the Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the Biden Admin over the State of Texas, saying that the federal government can remove physical barriers at the border put in place by Texas. What are your thoughts?'”
“Me: “My thoughts are that the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.”
There have been hundreds of posts on X bearing the hashtag “Texit” in response to the ruling, suggesting that Texas should secede from the U.S.
One user wrote: “The federal government has all but declared war on Texas. We will not continue to tolerate this blatant usurpation of Texas’ sovereignty and Constitutional right to defense.”
It appears Texas intends to stick to its convictions, with Governor Greg Abbott saying: “This is not over. Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages. I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton agreed, posting on X: “The destruction of Texas’s border barriers will not help enforce the law or keep American citizens safe. This fight is not over, and I look forward to defending our state’s sovereignty.”
Abbott has pointed to constitutional protections under Article IV, Section 4, giving states special powers to “protect each of them against invasion.”
Emergency 5-4 ruling allows wire to be cut so immigrants can invade the U.S.
Last October, Border Patrol agents began cutting through razor wire installed by Texas officials to protect the state from an influx of illegal immigrants. Texas sued, claiming that the agents were not only trespassing but also damaging state property. Although an appeals court ruled agents could not move or cut the wire except in cases of medical emergencies, the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court for an emergency ruling.
The Supreme Court’s decision was a close one, with the 5-4 vote ultimately granting the emergency request the Biden administration filed arguing the state had been stopping its agents from performing their duties. Four of the justices would have rejected the request: Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh.
Texas has also placed buoys in the Rio Grande to stop illegals from crossing. The Biden administration has sued the state over that move as well, but the barriers are still in place during ongoing litigation.
Country struggling to deal with record influx
Governor Abbott has been frustrated with the Biden administration’s lack of action at the border as record numbers of illegal immigrants continue to enter the country through his state. He has started busing some immigrants to cities like New York and Chicago, which have declared themselves sanctuary cities but are now struggling to handle the influx.
Many Americans feel that the Supreme Court’s move is only going to make immigration worse at a time when record numbers of illegals are entering the country and threatening national security due to poor vetting.
CBP sources report that migrant encounters hit 302,000 incidents in December 2023, which is the highest total for one month on record and the first time that monthly migrant encounters have surpassed the 300,000 mark. There have been several days when migrant encounters exceeded 12,000.
Sources for this article include: