Texas, White House on 'collision course'

HOUSTON/WASHINGTON — Texas authorities are in a standoff with the federal government over a sharp immigration dispute, as the reform on this issue has become the focus of a high-stakes political battle.

Observers have argued that the standoff in the south reflects the United States' political fray, warning against a potential constitutional crisis that might further split the country. They also believe immigration will emerge as a critical issue in this year's election.

In recent years, the Democratic and Republican parties have been at odds over the issue. After Democrat Joe Biden became president, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other Republicans frequently accused his administration of inaction, pointing to statistics showing "migrant encounters" — when a border agent picks up an illegal migrant after they've crossed into the US — reaching a record high of 302,000 in December.

For months, polling has shown the US public see the migrant crisis among their top concerns — and blame Democrats for the surge.

Last week, the US Supreme Court ruled that Texas cannot block Border Patrol agents from cutting the razor wires set by Texas along the border with Mexico as part of its response to a "crisis at the border".

Abbott has refused to obey the ruling, with the Texas National Guard continuing to roll out razor wires along the border. Abbott said the Constitution had granted Texas the right to defend and protect itself and that Biden had failed to fulfill his duty to secure the US border by allowing millions of immigrants to enter the country illegally from the southern border.

A CBS News report called the "standoff" between Texas and the federal government at the southern border "unprecedented".

Possible 'civil war'?

It has also further aggravated the partisan divide.

Last week, 25 other GOP governors released a joint statement in support of Abbott and Texas' constitutional right to self-defense. Former president Donald Trump, who is running again for president in 2024, has also sided with Abbott.

"As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America," Trump, who is close to securing the Republican presidential nomination, said in a Las Vegas speech on Saturday.

Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has even called for a "national divorce" in the United States to split the country based on political ideology into "red "Republican states and "blue" Democratic states.

Republicans in the House of Representatives announced impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of "willfully and systematically refusing to obey the law" on immigration issues, leading to a failure to control immigration at the border.

The New York Post wrote in an editorial that the "war" between Biden and Abbott puts the country at risk of a constitutional crisis.

In an interview on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said his state does not want a confrontation with the Biden administration.

However, when asked whether this situation will "turn into a civil war", Patrick reiterated that Texas has a constitutional right to secure its border.

"We believe constitutionally we are right, we have a right to defend our citizens, we have a right to defend this country, and we are just doing our job."

On Tuesday, US Representative Roger Williams, a Republican from Texas, said he welcomes a convoy of protesters to travel to the border and hold rallies.

The protest group, called "Take Our Border Back", launched a cross-country drive on Monday in Virginia heading toward Florida before bending west along the Gulf of Mexico, with separate rallies planned later in hot spots for unlawful immigration in Texas, Arizona and California on Saturday.

Many protesters have described themselves as part of "God's army "taking actions against "globalists".

"It's something they can do to call attention to the fact that the Biden administration is totally inept on securing this border and doesn't really want to," he said in an interview with NewsNation.

Xinhua - Agencies