Kristi Noem Tells Texas To 'Stand Its Ground' Over Border Ruling

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was questioned on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday over whether Texas should defy the Supreme Court decision regarding the removal of razor wire at the Southern border.

Noem, who previously offered to deliver razor wire via car to her Texas counterpart and fellow Republican, Greg Abbott, to use along the border, said she believes Texas should stand its ground.

"Texas should stand their ground, they should enforce their state law and go back to the constitutional rights that they have been granted to protect their state sovereignty and that's what some many of us governor are offended by," Noem said.

Newsweek has reached out to Noem's office via email from comment.

The Context

Noem's comments come after President Joe Biden's administration secured a significant win over Texas Gov. Abbott last week after the Supreme Court voted to allow the removal of razor wire along the U.S.' southern border.

The court voted 5-4 in approval of the White House's request to vacate an injunction from the Fifth Circuit in October, which blocked the Biden administration from instructing federal agents to cut down wire installed in Texas to deter illegal migration.

In August, 14 Republican-led states provided resources and personnel to Operation Lone Star—a multi-agency effort in Texas to apprehend illegal immigrants and make criminal arrests.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin provided a full-throated endorsement of Texas' handling of the border situation.

Christian Martinez, spokesperson for Youngkin, told Newsweek via email at the time that the state had deployed approximately 100 soldiers and airmen to Texas. It stems from an executive order issued by the governor in May.

"The Biden administration's inability to secure our southern border has turned every state into a border state[...]The southern border has experienced tremendous challenges with human trafficking, drug trafficking, the flow of people and threats to national security," Martinez said.

What We Know

The court's decision has sparked anger among Republicans who support the measures taken by Abbott to fight illegal immigration in the state.

Noem has sent dozens of South Dakota's National Guard troops to the southern border to assist Texas' National Guard in curbing migration since 2021, and has previously called the U.S.-Mexico border a "warzone."

Abbott and his administration have held firm on their stance to continue the razor wire policies. Abbott claims that Texas has a constitutional right to self-defense and his state was "acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border" by using the razor wire.

Views

Josh Hammer wrote in a Newsweek column about how Texas is correct to stand its ground, adding that the Supreme Court's order said "nothing whatsoever about Texas officials' ability to construct new wire"

Meanwhile, some Democrats, including Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Democrat Congressman Beto O'Rourke have urged Biden to federalize Texas' National Guard to stop Abbott defying the ruling.

Abbott is using the Texas Guard to defy a Supreme Court ruling. When Gov. Faubus did this in 1957, Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas Guard to ensure compliance with the law," O'Rourke posted on X. "Biden must follow this example of bold, decisive leadership to end this crisis before it gets worse."

What's Next

Biden is embracing tougher measures, including shutting down the US-Mexico border, marking a shift from his earlier messaging.

The Senate is embroiled in negotiations that could see the upper chamber vote on a deal by this week or next. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has refrained from committing to put such an agreement for vote on the floor if it doesn't go far enough in achieving conservative demands to curb migration and bolster enforcement as the number of migrant crossings has spiked.

Hours after Johnson warned on Friday that the emerging border deal in the Senate is "dead on arrival," Biden told House Republicans, "Securing the border through these negotiations is a win for America. For everyone who is demanding tougher border control, this is the way to do it. If you're serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it."