ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday joined other Republican governors in a statement expressing support for Texas in its border security measures that have brought on a showdown with the federal government.
The flashpoint is a riverfront park that is a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the U.S.
Texas has installed rows of razor wire in the park and says more is being added after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Border Patrol agents to cut or remove the sharp metal barrier. The fencing has become one of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's most visible measures to deter migrants in the border city of Eagle Pass.
Texas seized control of the park this month and began denying entry to Border Patrol agents, escalating a feud between Abbott and President Joe Biden's administration, which the governor accuses of not doing enough to curb illegal crossings. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security sent the state a letter demanding access again to Shelby Park, which is next to the Rio Grande.
The joint statement published Thursday by Kemp and 24 other Republican governors said they "stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. "
The governors accuse the Biden administration of "refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally."
They are claiming a "right to self-defense, under Article 4, Section 4 and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution."
That latter section of the Constitution says no state shall, without Congress' consent, "keep troops or ships of war" or "engage in war, unless actually invaded."
"It's not the kind of invasion that they were thinking of in 1787," legal scholar Stanford Levinson told CNN, responding to GOP arguments that the migrant crossings constitute an "invasion."
Texas told the Supreme Court the park was reopened to the public days after they shut it down at the start of the year, but the federal government expressed skepticism in its letter this week. The Biden administration requested access to the park, an area underneath a port of entry and a boat ramp.
“To our knowledge, Texas has only permitted access to Shelby Park by allowing public entry for a memorial, the media, and use of the golf course adjacent to Shelby Park, all while continuing to restrict U.S. Border Patrol’s access to the park,” the letter read.