Texas governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he has invoked the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions in an effort to protect the Texas-Mexico border.
In a tweet, Abbott explained that the move will “fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion.”
Abbott in July issued an executive order that authorized and empowered the Texas National Guard and DPS to arrest illegal aliens and return them to ports of entry.
Under Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the “Invasion Clause,” law enforcement personnel are empowered to “repel and turn back” migrants trying to cross the border. The Invasion Clause states that the federal government “shall guarantee every state in this Union a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion.”
The governor listed eight measures being used under constitutional authority to protect the border. Those measures include deploying the National Guard, gunboats, and Texas Dept. of Public Safety (DPS) to the border, as well as building the wall in multiple counties.
I invoked the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. & Texas Constitutions to fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion.
I'm using that constitutional authority, & other authorization & Executive Orders to keep our state & country safe: pic.twitter.com/2Jt5HEMgp5
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 15, 2022
According to the latest DHS figures, nearly 2.4 million migrants crossed the border in the fiscal year ending in September—a 37 percent increase from the year before. FBI Director Wray testified House Homeland Security Committee hearing Tuesday that the open border is a national security threat due to the drugs and guns crossing into the United States. Nonetheless, DHS Sec. continues to maintain that the border is “secure,” telling Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) at the same hearing that DHS is “working day in and day out to enhance it’s security.”
Despite the threat posed by criminal drug cartels at the border, Wray refused to designate them as a terrorist organizations.
WATCH: Holding FBI Director Wray & @SecMayorkas accountable for the fentanyl crisis. This is a national security threat killing Americans.
Over 200 Americans die each day from fentanyl. It’s more than just a major threat — it’s a crisis that must be confronted NOW! pic.twitter.com/REIunBPmMm
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) November 15, 2022