Chip Roy: 'This is an invasion, Texans are dying'
Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R) on his efforts to push Texas to declare an invasion to step into the role of the federal government on border security.
Rep. Chip Roy called Wednesday for Texas state officials to step up border security measures to do the job that the federal government has "purposely" ignored.
The Texas Republican joined "America's Newsroom" to slam the Biden administration and explain why Texas needs to invoke its constitutional right and duty to secure its border and protect citizens.
"We are dealing with an invasion. We are dealing with Texans dying from fentanyl pouring into our communities. Our ranchers are getting overrun, their livestock are getting out, their fences are getting cut. Our communities are dealing with that. So all of these leaders in the counties in south Texas are asking for is that Texas step up, and we go do what the federal government refuses to do," he told host Bill Hemmer.
TEXAS SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN INVASION LONG AGO, SAYS BORDER PATROL COUNCIL VP
Multiple Texas counties on Tuesday declared that the migrant crisis at the southern border is an "invasion," Fox News has learned, a move that could lead to similar declarations across the state.
Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith told Fox News Digital that he believes approximately 12 to 15 counties could end up having declared an invasion by the end of the month.
They have pointed to language in Article I of the Constitution, which allows for States to "engage in War" when it has been "actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay" without the approval of Congress. They also note Article IV says the U.S. "shall protect each [state] against invasion."
Greg Abbott, governor of Texas, tours the border between the US and Mexico along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, US, on Monday, May 23, 2022. Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Roy said "Texas has an obligation as a sovereign entity itself to defend its people." Roy said he is ready to fight and invoke constitutional authority to secure the border which the federal government has "purposely" refused to do.
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Roy implied that the Biden administration is encouraging illegal immigration by letting go of Trump-appointed judges and turning immigration hearings into a "free candy store" where migrants are given benefits and allowed to stay in the U.S.
The congressman did not hold back when asked how he feels about the crisis, arguing the Biden administration is undermining Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies trying to police the border.
"Hell yeah. I believe that they are purposely blowing up our border, purposely refusing to execute the laws of the United States. And the laws require that they detain people at the border. They're refusing to do it."
Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report