Georgia Rep. Mike Collins introduced legislation to ban federal authorities from removing barriers from the nation's southern border.
Collins' bill, dubbed the Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders (RAZOR) Act, follows the Supreme Court of the United States' (SCOTUS) Monday decision ruling in favor of the Biden administration's efforts to cut or remove portions of razor wire deployed on Texas' southern border to curb illegal border crossing. The bill, introduced on Wednesday, seeks the ban of federal government agents' ability to remove or alter "state-constructed barriers" to mitigate illegal migration.
"This bill would ban the federal government from removing Texas or any other state's border barriers," Collins wrote in an X post. "If the Supreme Court won't allow states to defend their sovereignty and our nation, Congress has a moral imperative to act."
A series of House Republicans joined Collins in co-sponsoring the bill, including Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, New York Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, and Texas Rep. Troy Nehls among others.
"We've got points of entry for you to come through," Collins noted during a Thursday Fox News radio interview. "If you're being persecuted or have problems ... come in the legal way."
Collins said Texas' deployment of razor wire was simply another deterrent that illegal border crossers would have to pass to enter the country.
"Even if nothing else, [razor wire is] around jails to keep people in the jail," he continued. "People put it up all the time to keep people out of their property."
On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement proclaiming President Joe Biden and his administration had neglected to uphold Article IV, § 4, of the United States Constitution, which notes the federal government "shall protect each [State] against invasion." Abbott cited Article I, § 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which acknowledges "the States' sovereign interest in protecting their borders."
"Under President Biden's lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border in just 3 years," Abbott's statement continued. "That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States." "The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border," Abbott added.
In response to Abbott's declaration of Texas' right to defend itself against illegal border crossing, Democratic lawmakers called for the federal seizure of Texas' southern border.
A series of Republican governors from Montana, Florida, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Virgina, and Georgia among others have thrown support behind Abbott and declared their willingness to assist the state in its defiance of SCOTUS' ruling.
