Texas refused to comply with the federal government’s demands. Washington issued an ultimatum to the state
27 January 2024 18:03
In the US, the conflict between the federal government and Texas is escalating, due to differences in views on migration policy.
The fact is that the border between Texas and Mexico is quite weak in a number of areas. This leads to a large influx of migrants, which is only growing in volume. In 2023, the number of illegal migrants who crossed the border between Mexico and the United States totalled 225,000, a record high since 2000.
Texas does not want these people on its territory, but the border in the US is controlled by the federal government, not the state government. Texas believes that the federal government is not fulfilling its responsibilities in securing the border.
Texas has already begun to use tactics similar to those used by Belarus recently – the state government gathers migrants and organisedly transports them to the north of the country, to the “Democrats”, because, in the opinion of Texans, it was the Democrats’ policies that led to the critical situation with migrants. Against this backdrop, the media began to report more and more often on the problems with migrants in large “democratic” cities such as New York and Chicago.
However, Texas does not stop there. Governor Gregg Abbott has ordered local National Guard units to take control of the border, at least certain parts of it. Texas has also begun to erect barbed wire there. It has also been reported that Texas security forces are not allowing federal troops to enter such areas.
The federal administration responded by issuing an ultimatum to Texas to unblock the federal troops’ access to the border, which expired at 00:00 on 27 January. There is also a Supreme Court ruling with corresponding requirements for Texas.
Texas did not accept the ultimatum. The state stated that it has the right to control every piece of its land. Texas accused the federal government of violating its constitutional right to defence and announced the activation of the US Constitution’s provision allowing it to declare martial law in the state and act without regard to the federal government. These actions were supported by the governors of 25 states, as well as by Donald Trump, who is likely to become the Republican presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.
Now that the Texas ultimatum has expired, there have been no reports from the US about any actions by the federal government.
The Ukrainian dimension
This seemingly deeply internal problem for the United States has a direct connection with Ukraine. The Republicans are trying to unblock financial and military assistance to Ukraine from the US government, as Republicans in Congress refuse to consider Ukraine’s issues until their demands on migration policy are met. At the same time, it is quite logical for Trump and the Trumpists in the Republican Party to delay this issue until the elections in November. After all, Trump will be able to use anti-immigration rhetoric during his campaign.
