Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) declared his support for Texas “to defend our country against invasion.”
Stitt appeared on Fox and Friends Friday to respond to the call from former President Donald Trump suggesting states send their National Guard to the Texas border amid a surge in illegal crossings. The Oklahoma governor is one of 25 Republican governors who have approved of Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) defensive actions at the border so far. Fox News anchor Steve Doocy asked Stitt if he plans to send National Guardsmen to Texas, to which he replied, “Absolutely.”
“This is just common sense. In Texas, there’s 28 ports of entry and it’s already a federal law that it’s illegal to enter anywhere but those points of entry,” Stitt said. “And so the fact that the federal government, Biden, is cutting the razor wire, it just makes no sense at all. So, yes, we have the right to defend our country against invasion. And what else would you call it if you’ve got 6 million people coming through illegally?”
During his time in office, Stitt sent the Oklahoma National Guard to Texas once before. Last July, a Virginia National Guard unit joined Operation Lone Star to help secure the southern border.
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Trump’s request on Abbott’s behalf came amid calls from prominent Texas Democratic leaders for the Biden administration to federalize the Texas National Guard in order to prevent them from installing more barbed wire fencing. The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the constitutional power to remove barbed wire on the state’s territory along the southern border.
This ruling came as a result of the Department of Justice suing the Texas government for its various tactics to keep immigrants from illegally entering the United States. While Border Patrol has been instructed to take down the barbed wire, the Texas National Guard is continuing to install more wire.
