by David Kelly

In mid-September 2022, the Texas Public Policy Foundation encouraged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to declare an invasion at the southern border with Mexico to protect Texas sovereignty and Texans “from cartel forces and their allies.” At that time, 22 Texas counties had officially declared an invasion. Now, there are 40 counties that have declared an invasion at the border, or have expressed support for Texas declaring an invasion.

“They are calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to formally declare an invasion and repel it, which he has yet to do. The governor cited the invasion clauses of the Texas Constitution and U.S. Constitution in a Nov. 14 letter to county judges and in a Nov. 16 letter to President Joe Biden. He also wrote letters to the heads of the Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety,” a Center Square article reported.

In the November 14 letter to judges, Governor Abbott bluntly acknowledged that “President Biden has abandoned his responsibility to enforce immigration laws, and Congress has refused to hold the President accountable and has abandoned its own responsibility to use the immigration power given to it in Article I, § 8 of the U.S. Constitution.” The letter continued, “Just two years ago, we had the fewest illegal crossings in decades. This past year under President Biden, an all-time record was set for the number of immigrants crossing the border illegally.”

There have reportedly been more than two million illegal-migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022. This is unprecedented in U.S. history, and something that the Biden administration has so far failed to slow, despite its claims that the border is “secure.”

In July 2022, Abbott issued an executive order that invoked the Invasion Clause of the Texas Constitution to fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to fight back against the invasion at the border. However, the executive order doesn’t declare an invasion; it only authorizes Texas law-enforcement officers to apprehend illegal foreign nationals and return them to ports of entry, along with allocating more resources to border security.

Abbott’s letter to the president reminded Biden that the “U.S. Constitution won ratification by promising the States, in Article IV, § 4, that the federal government ‘shall protect each of them against Invasion.’” Abbott stated that President Biden’s failed border policies have resulted in “Texans paying the price for your failure. Ranches are being ripped apart, and homes are vulnerable to intrusion…. Our border communities are regularly disrupted by human traffickers,” along with the “deadly fentanyl” brought across the border, which is “now the leading cause of death for citizens between the ages of 18 and 45.”

Bluntly accusing Biden of failure regarding his constitutional obligation to “safeguard the States,” Abbott declared, “In the more than 240 years of our great nation, no administration has done more than yours to place the States in ‘imminent Danger’ — a direct result of your policy decisions and refusal to deliver on the Article IV, § 4 guarantee.”

With these latest letters, his executive orders, and the current Texas county invasion declarations, Abbott appears now to be awaiting action from the new Congress in January 2023, asking that Texas judges “remind our representatives in Washington that securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility” under the U.S. Constitution. He also wants Congress to reimburse the state of Texas for the billions of dollars spent on border security in the Biden administration’s absence.

The 40 Texas counties that have declared an invasion include Atascosa, Burnet, Chambers, Clay, Collin, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Fannin, Goliad, Hamilton, Hardin, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Johnson, Kinney, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, McMullen, Montague, Navarro, Orange, Parker, Presidio, Shackelford, Somervell, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tyler, Van Zandt, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Wilson, and Wise.

These Texas counties, along with the other U.S. states bordering Mexico, have endured the brunt of Biden’s failed border policies. Their frustration can be heard and echoed in the closing words of Abbott’s letter: “Texas has done more than its fair share for far too long. The time has come for the federal government to do its job.”

This article was originally published at TheNewAmerican.com and is reprinted here with permission.