China News Service, February 2 (Chen Caixia) "Don't mess with Texas! We are serious about protecting the border." Dan Patrick, the deputy governor of Texas, USA, recently warned the Biden administration. In the past few days, Texas and the federal government have been fighting over immigration issues. The Texas National Guard even had a tense confrontation with federal law enforcement officers over the removal of barbed wire fences.
Subsequently, former US President Trump and 25 Republican governors publicly "taken sides" and supported Texas in challenging the White House. This not only put "enormous pressure" on Democratic President Biden, who is seeking re-election, but also escalated the vicious battle between the two parties. Analysts say that if the immigration crisis and partisanship continue to intertwine and ferment, it may further tear apart American society.
Immigration issues are difficult to solve!
Texas and federal government "confrontation"
About half of the U.S.-Mexico border lies in Texas, and the issue of illegal immigration has long been a pain point for the Texas government.
Data from the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee show that fiscal year 2023 was the worst year in history for U.S. border issues. More than 3.2 million illegal immigrants were deported or arrested, and about three-quarters occurred on the southwest border.
In December 2023 alone, a record number of more than 300,000 illegal immigrants tried to cross the US-Mexico border, and the Rio Grande River in Texas was one of the busiest locations.
Data map: On May 11, 2023 local time, immigrants gathered at the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico.
In order to prevent the large number of immigrants from flowing into Texas, Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, adopted tough policies. On December 18, 2023, Abbott signed a bill making it a crime for immigrants to illegally cross the border into Texas. He also sent illegal immigrants by truck to some Democratic-controlled states and cities far away from the border.
In addition, the Texas National Guard began to pull up barbed wire along the border to control Shelby Park on the Rio Grande River to prevent immigrants from entering.
"We used every possible means except shooting illegal immigrants..." Abbott said.
However, Abbott's approach is inconsistent with the views of the federal government. On January 22, following a petition from the Biden administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Border Patrol, a federal law enforcement agency, could dismantle the barbed wire fence built by Texas.
Faced with the above-mentioned verdict, Abbott refused to be outdone and refused to implement it. On January 24, Abbott issued a statement, "full firepower" against Biden. He said that for Texas, the southern border state of the United States, allowing immigrants to enter would have a serious impact on local social life and security. He criticized Biden for "breaking the contract between the federal government and the states." According to the law, American states have the right to take self-defense measures in the event of "invasion."
At the same time, he launched "Operation Lone Star", mobilizing the local National Guard to continue building and reinforcing barbed wire fences on the US-Mexico border, engaging in "confrontations" with federal law enforcement officers, and prohibiting federal patrols from entering Shelby Park.
At this point, the conflict caused by the "barbed wire fence" intensified, pushing both sides into a confrontational situation.
The multi-party conflict escalates!
Exacerbating the divisions in American society
Texas's move to challenge the federal government received support from Republicans and soon evolved into a greater conflict between the two parties.
According to "USA Today", on January 25, 25 Republican governors issued a joint statement publicly supporting Abbott and Texas' "right to self-defense."
"We stand with Texas and Governor Abbott using a variety of tools and tactics, including razor wire, to secure the border... We do so in part because the Biden administration refuses to enforce existing immigration regulations and Unlawfully allowing large numbers of immigrants who entered our country illegally to be paroled across the United States," the statement read.
Florida Governor DeSantis and Oklahoma Governor Stitt even bluntly stated that they are "willing to send the National Guard to Texas to assist law enforcement."
Data map: Former US President Trump.
On January 27, former U.S. President Trump also came off to “cheer” the crowd. He publicly stated at the rally, "The current wave of smuggling is a terrible invasion. If I were president, I would send reinforcements to Texas instead of a restraining order."
Many Republican members of Congress also expressed support for Texas' approach. Republican Senator Ted Cruz said, "The state government is defending Texas, but Biden is prosecuting Texas." Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene even issued an article calling for a "national divorce" between "red states" controlled by Republicans and "blue states" controlled by Democrats.
The Democratic Party is very angry about this. They call it a "politically motivated ploy" by the Republican Party. "They do not want to solve the problem, but use it to make a big fuss. This is why they continue to undermine bipartisan solutions."
Many American media are worried that the confrontation between Texas and the federal government will further tear the United States apart.
The US "Business Insider" commented that "the escalating tensions highlight how serious the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties are on the immigration issue." The US "New York Post" bluntly stated that Biden and Texas Governor Abbott's "war" , may trigger a "constitutional crisis."
The US "Newsweek" published an article stating that this conflict may once again awaken the "Texas Secession" movement. If the tension evolves into a crisis, many factions, including Texas nationalists, may be prepared to change the "political terrain" of North America. .
Border management sets off another "political storm"!
How will immigration affect the election?
In recent years, the illegal immigration problem in the United States has become increasingly serious. Especially after Biden took office, he overturned the strict immigration policies during the Trump era, leading to a sharp increase in the number of illegal immigrants. The Republican Party is playing the "immigration card", and immigration has gradually become a key issue in the 2024 presidential election.
Data map: US President Biden. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong
On January 26, under pressure from the public and the Republican Party, Biden, who was seeking re-election as president, agreed to make concessions on the immigration issue and increase the deportation and rapid repatriation of illegal immigrants in exchange for budget aid to Ukraine and Israel.
CNN commented that this statement marked a significant change from his attitude towards immigration when he took office. Biden's goal is to avoid "Trump's attacks on his immigration policies from affecting his election campaign."
Multiple U.S. polls show that in addition to the economy, immigration has become Biden's main "political weakness." According to a recent joint survey by ABC and the Washington Post, Biden's approval rating on the immigration issue is only about 18%, the lowest score for any president since the poll began in 2004.
Trump is currently leading the Republican primary. Building a border wall was one of Trump's key campaign promises during the 2016 presidential election, attracting a large number of anti-immigration conservatives. This year, he still made "Biden's border crisis" a core campaign issue, saying that "border issues are politically important as never before."
“In 2016, Trump relied on ‘We Want to Build a Wall’ to win the Republican nomination and later became the president.” The British Economist magazine said, “In order to prevent Trump from taking office, the Democratic Party must improve its immigration policy. Make a difference.”