More than two dozen Republican attorneys general sent a stern message to President Joe Biden and his border czar, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on Monday: If you're not going to enforce the law at the southern border, then "get out of the way so Texas can."
The letter, spearheaded by Iowa AG Brenna Bird and signed by 25 others and the GOP leaders of the Arizona Legislature, followed a similar letter from Republican governors last week showing solidarity for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who's waging a two-front battle: against Biden in the courtroom, and what Abbott calls an "invasion" of illegals pouring through the border.
Monday's six-page letter also comes after the Biden administration's release Friday that December set a record with more than 302,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, part of a "staggering" and record-setting 371,036 overall encounters nationwide. It also comes as myriad Democrat lawmakers and leaders call on Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard, a move Abbott said Friday would be "boneheaded."
"What you should do is simple: Enforce the law and protect the border," the letter stated. "And despite some recent suggestions that you should nationalize control of the Texas National Guard as a ruse, we would like to remind you that you cannot do so without legal authority that you currently lack. If you cannot bring yourselves to enforce the law, get out of the way so Texas can."
Further, the letter says Border Patrol "used a forklift to lift the wire to let more than 300 people crossing the Rio Grande into Texas."
The letter also addresses the Supreme Court's ruling last week that allowed the Biden administration to remove razor wire deployed at the orders of Abbott, but it did not issue a cease-and-desist to Texas.
"As lawyers yourselves, you must know that reports that Texas is ignoring or 'defying' the Supreme Court are wrong, either misunderstanding or deliberately misstating the law," they wrote. "The Supreme Court's order did not tell Texas that it could or could not do anything. Texas should be applauded for continuing to try to protect the border despite the federal government now, again, being able to try to destroy the barriers Texas builds."
The letter goes on to assert that Texas and other states "must be able to defend themselves from invasion."
At least one Biden administration official agrees. A Customs and Border Patrol senior official told Fox News that the relationship between Border Patrol and Texas law enforcement "remains strong."
"Bottom line: Border Patrol has no plans to remove infrastructure placed by Texas along the border," the official said. "Our posture remains the same. If we need to access an area for emergency response, we will do so. When that happens, we will coordinate with Texas (Department of Public Safety) and (Texas Military Dept.)."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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