In a conservative appeal, a prominent Texan nationalist has called on Governor Greg Abbott to significantly expand and militarize the Texas State Guard in the event of President Biden federalizing the Texas National Guard, a move advocated by some Democrats amid the ongoing border crisis.
Texan House Democrats Greg Casar and Joaquin Castro have suggested that President Biden employ Title 10 status to bring the Texas National Guard under federal control if Governor Abbott maintains his current border policy with Mexico.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday permitting the removal of razor wire along the border, an action taken on Abbott’s directive, the Texas governor vehemently responded. Two days later, Abbott released a letter characterizing the influx of migrants into Texas as an “invasion” and asserting the state’s “constitutional authority to defend and protect itself,” which he claimed “supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.”
Daniel Miller, the president of the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), posted on X (formerly Twitter), urging Governor Abbott to significantly expand the State Guard and deploy them along the Mexican border in the event of federalizing the National Guard by President Biden.
Miller stated, “If Biden federalizes the Texas National Guard, Greg Abbott should immediately throw enlistment in the Texas State Guard WIDE OPEN, fully militarize them, and deploy them as a Border Protection Force along the entire border.”
Unlike the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Air National Guard, there is currently no mechanism in place to federalize the State Guard. With around 1,900 personnel, the Texas State Guard is substantially smaller than the approximately 23,000-strong Texas National Guard, which has deployed thousands of soldiers for Operation Lone Star, initiated by Governor Abbott in 2021 to enhance border security.
Speaking to Newsweek, Miller expressed concerns about the federal government potentially calling the National Guard into federal service and ordering them to stand down. He emphasized the Texas State Guard as the preferred vehicle for border protection, citing its legal immunity from federalization and sole allegiance to the Governor of Texas. Miller claimed, “We predicted this would ultimately be the tactic used by the federal government in an attempt to keep the Texas border wide open to the cartels, and yet again, we’ve been proven right.”
