Almost all of the U.S. Republican governors have signed on a statement backing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his bitter fight against the federal government over border control.
The statement released Thursday on the Republican Governors Association website criticized the Biden Administration and said the state of Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself. This week, Texas officials and the Department of Homeland Security sparred over barbed wire along the Rio Grande. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal agents can cut through the razor wire the state installed to deter people from crossing.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border," the letter, signed by 25 Republican governors. "Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation.”
The White House addressed the governors' statement at a press briefing Friday.
“I would say to them that if they truly want to help with the issue at the border, with the immigration system, that they need to talk to the congressional members, the senators in their state," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. "They need to ask them to make sure that they have the resources they need within their respective states to take action to actually deal with a broken system."
More: Texas gov transforms immigration from a border issue to a backyard one. Dems aren't happy.
Governors from the following states signed the statement supporting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott:
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is the only Republican governor who did not sign onto the statement to support Abbott.
