Statement on Texas Governor’s Claim of Constitutional Authority to Justify Further Militarized Border Actions

On November 15, 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott claimed that clauses in the US and Texas constitutions give him the authority to carry out even more militarized actions at the US border with Mexico in response to recent migration.

In response, Alison Leal Parker, US managing director at Human Rights Watch said:

“Texas Governor Greg Abbott should protect people seeking safety or trying to join family, not target them. His dehumanizing, racist, and dangerous language is more than insulting; it signals an effort to deprive people of basic rights provided under federal law.”