Texas leaders refuse to give feds access to Shelby Park amid border standoff
State leaders refuse to give access to Shelby Park
Top Texas officials say they will not comply with a deadline to allow federal border agents access to a park along the Rio Grande. The tensions between the state and federal government have led to some calls for the president to take control of the Texas National Guard.
DALLAS - Top Texas officials say they will not comply with a deadline to allow federal border agents access to a park along the Rio Grande.
The tensions between the state and federal government have led to some calls for the president to take control of the Texas National Guard.
The federal government demanded its border agents get access to a park that is a high crossing area by Friday.
It’s a small area on a big border but a symbol of a dispute between the state and feds that’s ramping up.
The state of Texas is adding more razor wire along the border even after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling paved the way for the feds to take it down.
Gov. Greg Abbott shared on Thursday why he thinks there’s constitutional backing for the state to do what it needs.
"It was the states that created the United States," he said in a FOX News interview. "And when the states voted to create the United States and have a constitution, included in that agreement was the compact that the federal government would take care of the states."
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Texas ignores Supreme Court ruling, continues adding razor wire along border
The high court threw out a lower court decision, meaning federal agents can resume cutting razor wire. But Gov. Greg Abbott says the state will keep adding more wire, saying Texas' constitutional right to defend itself outweighs federal law.
The Supreme Court ruling allows for federal agents to cut the razor wire, but there’s been no decision yet on the case as a whole.
"Regardless of what federal statute may exist, the supremacy clause means that the constitution itself is the supreme law of the land," Abbott said. "The constitution itself provides Texas with a right of self-defense, in this case, because the United States has abandoned its responsibility to defend Texas."
Meanwhile, federal officials demanded the state of Texas to allow access to Shelby Park, a high crossing area the state took over earlier this month.
Attorney General Ken Paxton told FOX News the state does not plan to comply with a Friday deadline to grant access.
"We're talking about two and a half miles of a 1,260-something mile border along Texas and, suddenly, they've gotta have access right here," he said.
With the state and feds at odds along the border, some have called on President Joe Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard.
White House officials addressed the matter aboard Air Force One on Thursday. They were asked if they were considering federalizing the Texas National Guard.
"We talked about this the other day," said John Kirby with the National Security Council. "I don’t have any decisions with respect to that to speak to for the president. I don’t have any comment."
Meanwhile, optimism for a new border security deal in Washington appears to be waning. This after former president Donald Trump argued a deal would be meaningless and a gift to Democrats.
"Former President Trump has indicated to senators that he does not want us to solve the problem at the border," said U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah). "He wants to lay the blame for the border at Biden. And the idea that someone running for president would say, ‘Please hurt the country so I can blame my opponent and help my politics’ is a shocking development."
Meanwhile, Senate negotiators say the legislation is close to done and don’t agree with waiting.
"I don't agree on that, and the reason I don't agree on that is, one, we have a constitutional responsibility to protect the country and its safety," said U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma). "The things that are in this bill, Donald Trump would actually want to be able to have as president on this."