What Happens If Greg Abbott Expands Texas State Guard?

Story by Ewan Palmer • 3h Newsweek

The fight between Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and the Biden administration over how to control illegal immigration at the border continues and now includes calls to "fully militarize" the Texas State Guard (TXSG).

Abbott has vowed to defy the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said razor wire installed along stretches the Texas side of the U.S.-Mexico border were illegal,(I read the article... the SCOTUS didn't say the wire was illegal, just that the Feds could cut it down)  and that Border Patrol agents should be allowed to remove them. The wire had been put in place by Texas law enforcement at Abbott's direction.

In response, the Republican governor declared that Texas was under an "invasion" from migrants, invoked the state's constitutional right to defend and protect itself, as well as order the Texas National Guard—which is under the direct command of the governor, rather than the president—to continue to install the razor wire.

There previously were calls from Democrats for President Joe Biden to federalize the state's National Guard, essentially putting them under the command of the White House, to allow Border Patrol agents to remove the razor wire following the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling on January 22.

As the debate continues, Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, which campaigns for the Lone Star State to declare independence from the U.S., suggested that Abbott should expand the powers of the TXSG, the volunteer military agency that provides response during incidents such as the aftermath of a natural disaster.

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