South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is traveling to Texas to show support for the state amid its border standoff with the federal government.
On Friday, Noem posted on X, “I am on my way to the warzone at the Southern Border to stand with Texas, [Greg Abbott], and the National Guard.”
“Biden is failing, so we will continue to do everything we can to help secure the border,” she added.
I am on my way to the warzone at the Southern Border to stand with Texas, @gregabbott_tx, and the National Guard.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) January 26, 2024
Biden is failing, so we will continue to do everything we can to help secure the border. pic.twitter.com/ELXaNT2moT
Her trip comes as 25 Republican governors have expressed support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as tensions simmer with the federal government over the U.S.-Mexico border.
The governors signed onto a statement Republican Governors Association (RGA) which accused the Biden administration of leaving “Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border.”
“Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country,” the statement continued.
Finally, it concluded, “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.”
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled the federal government could remove razor wire fencing put up by Texas along a 30-mile stretch of land near the border.
In a statement after that ruling, Abbott accused Biden of breaking the compact between states and the federal government by failing to secure the border. He also labeled the wave of illegal migration an invasion, which he said gives him the authority to “defend and protect” Texas.
“That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. 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.
Former President Donald Trump has also expressed support for Abbott and urged other states to send National Guard troops to Texas.
Noem’s trip comes as she has been seen as a potential candidate to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee.