Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for a “national divorce” between red and blue states amid the escalating standoff over migration at the Texas border.The Georgia congressman responded to a post on X listing Democratic-leaning states that have sided with the federal government in the dispute with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.”When I said we need a National Divorce this is exactly what I’m talking about and a serious example as to why,” Greene wrote.Greene’s national divorce idea is not new — she has often suggested splitting up the United States along political lines— but it is divisive. It has drawn criticism even from fellow Republicans.The dispute between Abbott and the federal government has been intensifying after the Lone Star state’s governor said he would continue to install razor wire at the border to deter migrants from entering from Mexico.The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the federal government this week, saying the US Border Patrol could remove wire put up by the Texas National Guard, but this has not deterred Abbott from ordering them to defend it.Twenty-five Republican governors released a joint statement in support of Abbott on Thursday, praising him for “stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country.”Trump is stoking concerns in his White House run
Immigrant families cross into the United States from Mexico to seek asylum on May 08, 2023 in El Paso, Texas.
John Moore/Getty Images
The escalating tensions highlight how deeply divisive the issue of migration continues to be between Democrats and Republicans.The Texas National Guard is technically part of the US military, which ultimately reports to the president, but they take orders from the state governors except in exceptional circumstances.The current stand-off has sparked fears among right-wing circles that President Joe Biden could try to federalize the National Guard, and the troops could be forced to choose between loyalty to the state and their country.The dispute has inflamed loose talk of civil war and resistance from conservative media and politicians, The Washington Post reported.Former President Donald Trump has made stoking concerns over immigration a central plank of his run for his second nomination Republican nomination for president.This week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed the “pathetically weak” Republicans after GOP lawmakers buckled to pressure from Trump not to pass on a bipartisan border deal.Taylor Greene is one of Trump’s most fervent cheerleaders in Congress.
