Signs of “Texit” sentiment—the Texas Independence Movement—are getting stronger on the border between the United States and Mexico. Texas Republicans are furious about a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the Biden administration to remove the razor barbed wire that had been placed at the border between Mexico and the United States by order of the Texas governor Greg Abbott. Many lawmakers are urging the governor and state legislature to ignore that order.
Relations between the Texas “independents” and the federal government in Washington have never been good. Texas was the 28th state to join the Union. It became part of the United States in 1845 but had already enjoyed nine years of political independence after freeing itself from Mexican rule.
It is not surprising that Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, has been pushing for secession for years. This would mean no federal taxes, no health restrictions dictated by a “Dr. Fauci”, no speed limits or toll roads. It would also mean no liberals, democratic socialists, or gun laws. They could have a separate currency pegged to gold and an independent stock market outside the sphere of Wall Street.
“We want complete control of our immigration policy, our economy, our freedoms. As soon as we declare independence, we will be rich. I personally believe that the GDP of Texas residents will double in five to seven years.” These are the themes of Daniel Miller’s speeches on his radio station, “Radio Free Texas”, where he reminds his listeners that the inhabitants of the state pay much more in taxes than they receive from the federal government.
Miller’s speeches are closely followed by conservative Republicans. Among these is Chip Roy, the GOP super hawk and close ally of Donald Trump, who asked his voters to write to the Supreme Court Justices and tell them “To go to hell”.
Invited by Fox News Digital, Chip Roy said that Texas has “a duty under the Constitution to protect its citizens. There are no exceptions, and if the Supreme Court wants to ignore this truth, Texans and Texas leaders still have a duty to defend their people.”
Chip Roy is not alone in his demands. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz said in an interview on Fox News that the Supreme Court ruling makes him “angry.” He added that “incredible progress” had been made to secure the border and President Biden has “deliberately and systematically dismantled security systems.”
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) has come to the aid of his Texas colleagues and introduced a bill to prohibit the federal government from removing border barriers after the Supreme Court ruling.
The Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders Act, nicknamed the RAZOR Act, would prohibit the federal government from removing the barbed wire that had been placed by the National Guard at the governor’s order. This would apply not just to Texas, but other states as well.
In recent weeks, Texas state troopers placed razor-sharp barbed wire fences 20 miles long on the Rio Grande in the border town of Eagle Pass as a deterrent to illegal immigration at the border. Almost all of the barbed wire was placed on private land with the landowners’ consent. There is only a small portion of the land that is public.
The Justice Department said that Texas National Guard soldiers continue to prevent federal Border Patrol Agents from accessing areas where sharp barbed wire has been placed, and stated that, “the fence further limits federal agents’ ability to reach high-risk areas used to enter the United States.”
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Texas Governor Greg Abbott defiantly declared that the legal battle over barbed wire was not over with the federal court’s decision. Numerous videos posted on social media showed Texas National Guard soldiers putting up even more barbed wire following the Supreme Court decision.
Earlier this month three migrants drowned in the Rio Grande while trying to enter the United States. Board Patrol Agents said that the Texas National Guard soldiers prevented them from entering the area to rescue these individuals. The governor’s office denied this claim.
