Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is voicing support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his legal battle against the Biden administration’s handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern border.
Haley, in a statement to Fox News Digital, emphasized that Governor Abbott is right in asserting the state of Texas’ right to defend itself and its borders.
She criticized President Biden’s attempt to hinder governors from taking necessary actions to protect their citizens, stating that it is nothing new, citing her own experience when the Biden-administration sued her during her tenure as governor of South Carolina over anti-illegal immigration laws.
Abbott is currently entangled in several legal disputes with the Biden administration, with the federal government threatening legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley (Credits: The Hill)
Lawsuits are also ongoing regarding the cutting of razor wire by Texas and the placement of buoys in the Rio Grande, with the Supreme Court recently ruling in favor of the administration’s emergency appeal to continue cutting border wire set up by Texas.
The administration has also sued over a recently enacted Texas law permitting state and local officials to arrest illegal immigrants, claiming it interferes with federal control over immigration and border security and endangers agents and migrants.
Abbott, however, argues that the federal government’s failure to fulfill its duty to protect against invasion, as stipulated in the Constitution, grants states the right to self-defense. He emphasizes that the federal government’s refusal to enforce existing immigration laws violates its constitutional duty.
Over a dozen Republican governors have expressed their support for Abbott in his dispute with the Biden administration. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among others, asserted that if the Constitution made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it would not have been ratified, and Texas would not have joined the union.
The statements from Republican governors highlight a growing rift between state and federal authorities over border security and immigration enforcement.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Trump campaign for comment, but as of now, no response has been received.
The escalating legal battles and the support Abbott is garnering from fellow Republican governors underscore the broader challenges and debates surrounding immigration policies and the roles of states and the federal government in enforcing them.
