Georgia – On Tuesday, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia declared he’s going to send more National Guard soldiers to assist Texas in guarding its border with Mexico from unauthorized entry.
The Republican Governor Kemp pointed fingers at President Joe Biden accusing him of not keeping the border safe. This, Kemp says, has left him and other Republican governors with no choice but to step in and support Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
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Governor Abbott has taken measures like putting up barbed wire along parts of the border between Texas and Mexico. He argues that Texas has every right to defend its boundary. This stance has led to a legal tangle with the Biden administration, which argues that it’s the federal government’s job to handle immigration matters.
“We reinforce the right of states to defend themselves against threats when the administration is unwilling to step up and lead,” Kemp said Tuesday during a news conference at the Georgia Capitol.
Governor Brian Kemp recently said he’s going to send more Georgia National Guard members to the Texas border. This decision came after he visited the border with some other Republican governors earlier in the month, marking his fifth visit since he became governor in 2019.
The Georgia legislature is behind Governor Kemp
The Georgia legislature, which Republicans control, has backed Kemp. The state Senate and House passed resolutions in support of the Texas mission and the idea that states can defend themselves. These resolutions saw votes split along party lines.
Kemp highlighted that since President Biden took office in 2021, over 8.5 million undocumented immigrants have entered the U.S., including 169 on the terror watchlist in the last year alone.
He also mentioned a significant increase in fentanyl cases investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation last year, up by 51% from the year before.
While Democrats believe that immigration issues should be dealt with by the federal government and have criticized Republicans in Congress for not supporting comprehensive immigration reform, Kemp argues that President Biden has the power to close the U.S. border himself and shouldn’t pass the blame to Congress.
Kemp plans to send 15 to 20 members of the Georgia National Guard to Texas this spring, choosing those with skills in engineering and mechanics to help establish a forward command post along the Texas-Mexico border.
Fourteen Republican governors gathered in Texas to show support to Texas Gov. Abbott
On February 4, 2024, a significant political event happened in Eagle Pass, Texas: 14 Republican governors gathered around Governor Greg Abbott to show their support for Operation Lone Star, a controversial plan to secure the border. This operation, which is led by Abbott, is a strong protest against what some people see as too little federal involvement in border security issues.
Abbott says that deploying the Texas National Guard, building more fences, and stepping up inspections of commercial vehicles coming from Mexico are necessary to protect Texas and, by extension, the whole country. But this approach has its critics. The Biden administration and a number of advocacy groups have spoken out strongly against it, saying that these measures are useless, too expensive, and bad for both local economies and migrants’ rights.
The governors’ meeting in Eagle Pass was more than just a show of support; it was a planned move to put pressure on the Biden administration to make stricter rules for border security. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida promised more National Guard resources to Texas, which shows how much Republicans from different states are working together on this issue.
The debate over Operation Lone Star’s effectiveness is still going strong, even though political views are very different. Republicans want stricter security measures, while Democrats want comprehensive immigration reform. Some people say that the drop in illegal border crossings is proof of success, while others point out the negative effects on the economy and people’s lives. More and more people are worried about drug trafficking and overdoses, especially the rise in fentanyl overdoses. This has made the debate about border security and what it means for national safety even stronger.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued statement right after the gathering in Texas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement on February 4 just after the joint press conference with 14 Republican Governors. This is the press release:
Governor Greg Abbott today was joined by 13 of America’s Governors who stand in solidarity with Texas’ right to defend itself against President Joe Biden’s border crisis for a press conference at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass.
Governor Abbott was joined by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and Utah Governor Spencer Cox.
“President Biden has abandoned his constitutional duty to protect Americans by refusing to secure our southern border,” said Governor Abbott. “During his presidency, Joe Biden has smashed records for illegal immigration and allowed total chaos to be unleashed along our southern border. Instead of upholding immigration laws already on the books, President Biden sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue the State of Texas for doing the job he should have been doing all along. Half of America’s Governors, including those here with me today, have banded together to make one thing clear: Americans stand with Texas and our right to protect and defend our state from the crisis at our southern border. They have traveled to the very epicenter of the border crisis to witness first-hand President Biden’s lawless policies and the devastating impacts it’s having on our communities, Texas, and the entire country. Until the Biden Administration decides to do its job and secure the border, Texas—with the support of 25 of America’s Governors—will continue to step up and protect our nation from the catastrophe caused by President Biden.”
Governors Lee, Kemp, Sanders, and Gianforte also spoke about President Biden’s reckless refusal to secure the border and states across the country joining together to support Texas’ historic border security efforts during the press conference. View the full press conference here.
During the press conference, Governor Abbott provided an update on the ongoing operations of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers at Shelby Park where Texas continues to hold the line. He also thanked America’s Governors for banding together to do the job President Biden refuses to do to secure the southern border.
The Governor was also joined at the press conference by Texas Department of Public Safety Deputy (DPS) Director Freeman Martin, Texas Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.
Prior to the press conference, Governor Abbott held a border security briefing for his fellow Governors to provide detailed insight into the severe consequences of President Biden’s complete failure to secure the border. Deputy Director Martin, Major General Suelzer, and Border Czar Banks also provided updates on the multitude of effective tools and strategies deployed by Operation Lone Star to secure the border. First, Deputy Director Martin highlighted Operation Lone Star’s border security efforts, mentioning that DPS has seized over 458 million lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to kill every man, woman, child in America. Major General Suelzer then provided an overview of Texas National Guard soldiers’ efforts to hold the line, including adding more razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border and their work on expanding Shelby Park as a base camp to crackdown on the flow of illegal immigration. Finally, Border Czar Banks touted Operation Lone Star’s border security measures, pointing to low border crossings in areas where the Texas National Guard and DPS are currently deployed along the Texas-Mexico border.
Today’s border visit comes after Governor Abbott sent President Biden a letter last month outlining Texas’ constitutional right to defend and protect itself as the Biden Administration continues to attack Texas and refuses to perform their duties to secure the border.
As of today, 14 states—including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming—have stepped up to support Texas’ efforts and deployed personnel and resources to secure the border in President Biden’s absence.