Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy sounded off on the 'incompetence' of the ongoing 'wide-open' southern border crisis.
Kennedy delivered a football analogy about President Joe Biden and his administration's handling of illegal border crossings during a Thursday appearance on Fox News.
“It’s time for America to wake up and smell the incompetence,” Kennedy said. “The border is wide open, and as I’ve said before, that’s man-made — and the man’s name is Joe Biden.”
“If the White House were a football team and performed like this, we would have already fired the coach, the athletic director, and the mascot,” Kennedy continued. “Americans want better and it keeps getting worse.”
Kennedy's remark follows Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Wednesday statement asserting the state's right to self-defense in defiance of the Supreme Court of the United States' (SCOTUS) Monday ruling in favor the Biden administration's legal ability to remove razor wire placed at the state's southern border.
Abbott cited Article IV, § 4, of the Constitution, which notes the federal government "shall protect each [State] against invasion." The Texas governor also cited Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which acknowledges "the States' sovereign interest in protecting their borders."
"The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense," Abbott asserted. "For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas's constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary."
A series of Republican governors, along with former President Donald Trump, threw support behind Abbott and offered the Lone Star state assistance in curbing illegal border crossings.
Trump notably encouraged "willing" states to deploy their national guard to Texas to assist in the state's efforts.
"When I am President, on Day One, instead of fighting Texas, I will work hand in hand with Governor Abbott and other Border States to Stop the Invasion, Seal the Border, and Rapidly Begin the Largest Domestic Deportation Operation in History," he concluded. "Those Biden has let in should not get comfortable because they will be going home."
On Thursday, a joint statement by 25 Republican governors was released backing Abbott's assertion of the state's right to defend its southern border.
"We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border," the joint statement read. "We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally."
The statement was signed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed Thursday's statement.
