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Sanders joins 25 Republican governors supporting Texas border efforts

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Sanders joins 25 Republican governors supporting Texas border efforts

Jan 25, 2024 | 6:24 pm ET
By McKenzie Romero
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Sanders joins 25 Republican governors supporting Texas border efforts
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An immigrant family wades through the Rio Grande while crossing from Mexico into the United States on Sept. 30, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is among 25 GOP governors behind a letter supporting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his state’s “constitutional right to self-defense” at the nation’s southern border.

In their letter, the members of the Republican Governors Association blame President Joe Biden’s administration for refusing to take action addressing the border crisis, instead suing the state.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week ordered Texas to allow federal border agents access to the border, where the state has placed miles of razor wire to deter migrants. Texas had sued the federal government after Border Patrol agents cut some of the wire.

The governors said that because the Biden administration has failed to stop the “historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country, Texas has a constitutional right to defend itself and the nation.

“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. 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 governors wrote.

The letter comes amid news that former President Donald Trump had lobbied Republicans to oppose a bipartisan immigration deal in the works in the Senate, as he continues campaigning on problems at the border in his 2024 bid to return to the White House.

Other governors signing the letter include:

  • Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey
  • Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
  • Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
  • Idaho Gov. Brad Little
  • Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb
  • Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
  • Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry
  • Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves
  • Missouri Gov. Mike Parson
  • Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte
  • Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen
  • Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo
  • New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu
  • North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
  • Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
  • South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster
  • South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
  • Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee
  • Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
  • Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
  • West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice
  • Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: [email protected]. Follow Utah News Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.