South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem toured the "warzone" at the southern border on Friday, doubling down on her support for Texas in its fight to secure its state while hammering the Biden administration for failing at the border and pulling out all the stops in an attempt to make sure Texas fails, too.
Noem, a two-term governor who is also speculated to be on a short list of vice president candidates in a second Donald Trump administration, conducted a boat tour with the Texas Department of Public Safety at Eagle Pass, met with the Texas National Guard and state troopers, and received a briefing from Border Patrol agents.
"Every time that I come to the southern border, it is clear that the situation has deteriorated more and more. Texas has carved out a small zone of security in the middle of this warzone," Noem said in an email release.
"Now, the Biden Administration is undermining them. Not only is Joe Biden failing to secure the border – he is actively trying to stop Governor Abbott and Texas from the work that they are doing to secure the border. South Dakota stands with them, and we will continue to do everything we can to help secure the border."
To that end, Noem sent 50 South Dakota National Guard soldiers to Texas last summer and said she was the first to do so three years ago.
She also was one of 24 Republican governors who signed a joint statement in support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday. Abbott is fending off the Biden administration’s lawsuits and efforts against him on one side while also trying to plug a porous border caused by President Joe Biden on the other.
The Supreme Court earlier this week ruled that the Biden administration could remove the razor wire placed by Texas at crucial spots along the border. However, SCOTUS did not issue a cease-and-desist to Texas, so Abbott has plowed ahead with laying more razor wire, among other efforts to secure the border.
Noem on Thursday vowed to drive Abbott "more razor wire from South Dakota if I have to for him to do his job."
"If we lose this country, where will we go? What other nation in the world is better or Freer? We must do all that we to defend the United States of America so that we can keep it safe for our kids and our grandkids," Noem said in her email.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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