Amid a record level of illegal immigration under the Biden administration, Texas officials have attempted to take the border crisis into their own hands. In response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling permitting federal authorities to remove razor wire installed by Texas along the border, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered even more wire to be placed and has declared the situation to be an invasion, thus claiming constitutional authority to take action without federal authorization.

Biden has abandoned his duty to enforce federal immigration laws & secure our border.

For this reason, I have declared an invasion to invoke Texas’ constitutional right to defend & protect our border.

Show you #StandWithTexas by signing our petition: https://t.co/nRtiDQn9dP

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 31, 2024

The governors of more than two dozen other states have expressed support for Abbott’s efforts in recent days and a proposed bill introduced in Congress this week would provide even more options for states to enhance the security of their own borders.

U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) has been the driving force behind the Defend Our Borders From Armed Invaders Act, which, if implemented, would empower state National Guard troops to take an active role in preventing armed migrants from illegally crossing the border.

Six other GOP lawmakers — Reps. Brian Babin of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Brandon Williams of New York, Chuck Edwards of North Carolina and Chuck Fleischman of Tennessee — have also co-sponsored the bill.

“Cartels and smugglers are thriving at our wide-open border,” Luttrell said. “We’re seeing violent crime continually escalate at the border and flow into our communities, as President Biden’s policies have created an untenable national security crisis.”

As for the role his proposed legislation would play in addressing the current situation, he called it “a step in the right direction to rein in this crime by providing the National Guard the power to stop these armed individuals from crossing into the United States by any means.”

A statement released last week in support of Abbott and signed by 25 Republican governors echoed Luttrell’s call for action.

“President Biden and his Administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border,” the statement began. “Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country.”