AUSTIN, Texas — Republican governors from across the country have rushed in to defend and support fellow GOP Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) as he treads further into one of his biggest battles yet, taking on the Biden White House over the chaos at the southern border.

Half of the country’s governors have mounted a full-force campaign on Abbott’s behalf, coming out publicly to say they stand shoulder to shoulder with the embattled Texas leader, an unspoken warning to the Biden administration of the enormous support for the state’s recent actions to lock down part of its border.