South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem faced questioning on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday regarding Texas potentially defying the Supreme Court’s decision on removing razor wire from the Southern border.
Noem, who had earlier volunteered to transport razor wire to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, her fellow Republican, for border use, expressed her belief that Texas should maintain its stance.
“Texas should stand their ground, they should enforce their state law and go back to the constitutional rights that they have been granted to protect their state sovereignty and that’s what some many of us governor are offended by,” Noem stated.
Noem’s remarks follow a recent victory for President Joe Biden’s administration over Texas Gov. Abbott. Last week, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to permit the removal of razor wire along the U.S. southern border.
This decision allowed the Biden administration to proceed with instructing federal agents to cut down the wire in Texas, which had been blocked by an injunction from the Fifth Circuit in October.
In August, 14 Republican-led states, including Texas, contributed resources and personnel to Operation Lone Star, a multi-agency effort aimed at apprehending illegal immigrants and making criminal arrests in Texas.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin expressed strong support for Texas’ approach to the border situation.
Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for Youngkin, conveyed via email to Newsweek that Virginia had deployed around 100 soldiers and airmen to Texas in response to an executive order issued by the governor in May.
“The Biden administration’s inability to secure our southern border has turned every state into a border state[…]The southern border has experienced tremendous challenges with human trafficking, drug trafficking, the flow of people and threats to national security,” Martinez stated.
What We Understand
Republicans who back Abbott’s efforts to combat illegal immigration in the state are expressing frustration over the court’s decision.
Since 2021, Noem has deployed numerous South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border to support Texas’ National Guard in managing migration. She has previously referred to the U.S.-Mexico border as a “warzone.”
Despite opposition, Abbott and his administration remain steadfast in their commitment to maintaining razor wire policies. Abbott argues that Texas, under its constitutional right to self-defense, is utilizing razor wire to secure its border in accordance with state law.
What’s on the Horizon
Biden is now advocating for more stringent measures, including the potential closure of the US-Mexico border, signaling a departure from his earlier messaging.
Negotiations are underway in the Senate, with the possibility of a vote on a deal by the end of this week or the next.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to bringing such an agreement to a vote unless it sufficiently addresses conservative demands to control migration and strengthen enforcement, especially given the recent surge in migrant crossings.
After Johnson threatened on Friday that the Senate’s current border agreement is “dead on arrival,” Biden told House Republicans that “securing the border through these negotiations is a win for America. For everyone who is demanding tougher border control, this is the way to do it. If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
