Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated on Thursday that his state’s National Guard members will join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s attempts to stem the flow of illegal immigrants at the southern border.
In a Thursday morning press conference, DeSantis claimed that he is giving a battalion of “up to” 1,000 Florida National Guard men to help guard Texas’ border. A spokeswoman for the National Guard stated that 100 men would be sent immediately.
“We are here to join as Floridians to say that we need to stop this invasion at our southern border once and for all,” said DeSantis, standing in front of members of the Florida National Guard and a sign reading “stop the invasion.”
In addition, the Florida State Guard will be deployed for the first time outside of the state.
“Biden has the authority to close this border today,” DeSantis stated. “Even if he wanted to, he lacks the determination to complete the task. He lacks the ability to recognize the situation for what it is and get the job done.”
Over a dozen states have proclaimed their support for Abbott’s anti-illegal immigration agenda and promised to give resources to help him control the border in the face of record numbers of illegal immigrants.
Abbott is now involved in several court skirmishes with the Biden administration. The federal government has threatened legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, while cases are still pending over the administration’s dismantling of razor wire laid up by Texas and the installation of buoys in the Rio Grande.
The Supreme Court recently ruled in the administration’s favor, granting an emergency appeal to allow agents to continue dismantling border wire installed by Texas along the border. Texas released photographs this week showing physical barriers being strengthened at Eagle Pass.
The government has also filed a lawsuit challenging a recently passed law that authorizes Texas state and local agencies to apprehend illegal immigrants. The administration has accused Texas of interfering with federal jurisdiction over immigration and border security, claiming that it endangers agents and migrants.
Abbott, on the other hand, highlighted constitutional text requiring the federal government to “protect each [state] against invasion” as well as states’ rights to defend their own boundaries.
Abbott claims that “the failure of the Biden administration” to carry out such responsibilities triggers a provision in Article 1 that “reserves to this State the right of self-defense.” He emphasizes that he has previously declared an “invasion” to exercise the authority, which he refers to as “the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
“If the Constitution really made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it wouldn’t have been ratified in the first place and Texas would have never joined the union when it did,” DeSantis wrote in a recent post on social media.