Lieutenant Governor threatens Biden with Texas Military Forces

РБК:  Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the administration of US President Joe Biden would make a mistake if it entered into a confrontation with members of the National Guard or other state security forces.

“The biggest mistake the Biden administration can make is clashing with law enforcement, our military, our National Guard at the border, in this park, when we are actually doing the job that the American people want,” he was quoted as saying. Newsweek.

According to the publication, concerns about a possible confrontation between federal and state departments arose after the decision of the Supreme Court, which considered live barbed wire on the US-Mexico border a “cruel and inhumane” measure. Federal border guards received permission to cut the wire, which was installed at the initiative of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

“If they come in and create [this] situation, all of America will see that Democrats are willing to stand up to a state that is acting on our constitutional right to protect our people,” Patrick added.

The Texas Military was created in 1823. They include the National Guard, Air National Guard, Texas Militia and other branches of the military. The number of personnel reserves is 23.2 thousand people. The commander-in-chief is the state's governor, Greg Abbott. The Texas Military budget for 2023 was $1.851 billion.

All US states have their own militarized and security forces; they are mainly involved in ensuring internal security. In most cases, we are talking about the National Guard, which serves as a reserve for the country's Armed Forces.

After the court's decision, Abbott, in turn, wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter): "We continue to use this barbed wire to repel illegal immigration." He also called Biden's immigration policies "reckless" and said razor wire is "an effective deterrent to illegal border crossings."

The US presidential administration called the tactics used by Abbott cruel and inhumane towards migrants, Newsweek writes. They also noted that because of it, federal authorities do not have access to “key areas” on the border.