Texas and federal government clash over the border

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has continued to express support for Texas Governor Greg Abbott as tensions with the federal government continue to increase. Governor Abbott and the Biden Administration are currently fighting multiple legal battles over control of migration at the Mexican border. Historically, courts have held that the federal government holds sole responsibility for border security under the Constitution.

In early January, the Texas National Guard seized a park in Texas and refused entry to federal immigration authorities. Shelby Park is located in Eagle Pass, a location where many migrants attempt to cross the border over the Rio Grande into the United States.

This marks an escalation of Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, an initiative to increase security at the border which started in 2021. The operation has included deploying state troopers along the border, building border walls, a floating barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande and $11 million worth of barbed razor wire along the bank of the river. The barbed wire met criticism from the Biden administration who argue that it creates barriers and potential dangers for federal agents attempting to perform their jobs.

In October, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration for illegally destroying state property after the Border Patrol cut portions of the wire. In January, the case appeared before the Supreme Court who voted 5-4 to allow federal agents to continue to cut or remove portions of wire as needed. Texas has continued to add more barbed wire to the bank following the decision.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen was among 25 other Republican governors who signed a letter supporting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's actions, stating the state’s constitution right to self-dense. The letter accuses the Biden administration of failing to control “historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl and terrorists entering our country.”

Last year, Nebraska sent over 60 members of Nebraska’s National Guard to work alongside Texas authorities at the border and authorized drone operators from the State Patrol to aid with surveillance operations.

By Aubrey Benton