Governor Abbott Uses the Constitution to Invoke the Invasion Clause

Governor AbbottScreenshot from Twitter

On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott invoked the invasion clause on illegal immigration. The clause is part of the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution.

In 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered nearly 2.1 million people illegally crossing the Texas-Mexican border.

Governor Abbott said:

"I invoked the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. & Texas Constitutions to fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion."

The governor plans to use the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to capture and turn back migrants to Mexico.

Abbott mentioned he was going to use gunboats along the southern border against Mexican cartels who he previously called terrorists in September this year.

In a tweet, Governor Abbott said:

“I’m using that constitutional authority, & other authorization & Executive Orders to keep our state & country safe.”

Governor Abbott tweetScreenshot from Twitter

Governor Abbott used the invasion clause of the U.S. Constitution which is Article IV, Section 4. The clause states the U.S. "shall guarantee every state in this Union a republican form of government and shall protect each of them against invasion."

In the Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 7 states the governor, as commander in chief of military forces, "shall have power to call forth the militia to execute the laws of the State, to suppress insurrections, and to repel invasions."

Governor Abbott was just reelected last week to serve his third term as Texas governor.

The Biden administration has faced criticism over the border crisis. This caused Governor Abbott to start busing migrants from Texas to cities such as Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago.

What do you think about this recent move by Governor Abbott?