Narratives of the Right: Texas Governor Should 'Exercise War Powers' to Protect From 'Invasion'

According to the Right, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has the authority to protect the state's borders, and 'Texas retains its inherent authority to exercise war powers in the event of an invasion.'

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The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and is being portrayed by right-wing media and far right actors as an “invasion,” and also being used by far right extremists and White Supremacist to spread xenophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories and propaganda.

Daniel Greenfield claims that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached because of “over an invasion of the country by millions,” writing in Front Page that “entire cities have been overloaded and are groaning under the weight of an invasion that has no precedent in American history. Major cities are swarmed, police officers are being assaulted in broad daylight and stores are being cleaned out by massive mobs of illegal migrant invaders.”

Chris Queen warns that “we’re in danger” and echoes elements of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, writing in PJ Media that “it's not just because our military has gone woke or because the federal government seems to care more about every other issue than national security. We're in serious trouble because our open border allows so many hostiles to come in and embed themselves in this country.”

Libby Emmons, the Editor-in-chief of the right-wing The Post Millennial, claims that President Joe Biden has not authority to prevent Gov. Abbott from taking actions to “secure the border from the literal invasion that is taking place,” writing in Human Events that if “Biden's border agents and the troops of the National Guard clash, if Biden attempts to seize Texas' Guard, or if other states send their National Guards in to help Abbott in his fight to save Texas, America will face her worst enemy: internal strife and conflagration.”

The Republican Governors Association published a statement in support of Gov. Abbott and “Texas’ constitutional right to self-defense,” which was signed by 25 governors, and claims that “Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation.”

The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), the “affiliated legal organization” of the anti-immigrant extremist group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), filed a brief in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals which argues that “as a sovereign, Texas has inherent authority to protect its borders,” and that “Texas retains its inherent authority to exercise war powers in the event of an invasion.”

William Wolfe post on Twitter/X.