The issue with the border crossings has moved from a policy problem to a possible constitutional crisis. The situation is that Texas has claimed the right to make immigration policy, which is properly a federal power. The Supreme Court told them that they could not interfere with the Border Patrol, but they seem to be opening the door to Calhoun's doctrine of nullification. The odious governor of Texas even used the term "compact" when describing the Constitution, and that's concerning.
Calhoun argued that the Constitution was a compact rather than a contract. By this, he meant that each state entered into an agreement that created the national government. Rather than a contract that bound the participants, a compact is largely voluntary - and thus largely meaningless. For Calhoun the compact theory meant ignoring any federal efforts to restrict slavery. This naturally led to secession.
So, when Governor Abbott refers to a compact, he's explicitly placing Texas on the same level as the federal government and implicitly threatening civil war.
Ever since Ammon Bundy, I've felt that the national government has overlearned the lesson of Waco and Ruby Ridge. Still, I can see the danger in resorting to forceful measures when you have a set of states basically embracing nullification and civil war.
What's baffling to me is that slavery was the economic and cultural backbone of the South. It informed everything about how that society functioned. WTF is up with this border stuff? One has to assume that it is entirely a political stunt, since efforts to actually solve it garner rebuke from Trumpistan. Trying to examine what Republicans think the stakes are here immediately break down when coming into contact with facts.
For cynical political gain, the GOP is scaring the shit out of their voters with bullshit stories about an "invasion" and then creating conditions that have killed a mother and her children and could lead to open violence between the second largest state and the federal government.
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