Chip Roy urges Texas officials to ignore Supreme Court order on border razor wire: 'Go to hell'
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is calling on Lone Star State officials to ignore a recent Supreme Court order that cleared the way for federal officials to cut down razor wire placed along the border on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders.
"They have a duty under the Constitution… and every other norm of leadership of any sovereign state, to protect your citizens, period, full stop. There is no exception to that," Roy told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "And if the Supreme Court wants to ignore that truth, which a slim majority did, Texas still had the duty, Texas leaders still have the duty, to defend their people."
"It's like, if someone's breaking into your house, and the court says, 'Oh, sorry. You can't defend yourself.' What do you tell the court? You tell the court to go to hell, you defend yourself and then figure it out later."
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Roy said earlier on X, "This opinion is unconscionable and Texas should ignore it on behalf of the [Border Patrol] agents who will be put in a worse position by the opinion and the Biden administration’s policies."
The Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision on Monday allowing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents to resume destruction of barbed wire placed by Texas officials along the Rio Grande to deter migrants from trying to cross into the U.S. illegally.
The one-page order, which did not offer any explanation, is a win for the Biden administration amid an ongoing standoff with Texas over how to handle the border crisis. The administration said the wire endangered lives and impeded federal officials in performing their duties.
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When asked about the lack of an explanation, Roy targeted the two conservative justices who voted with the court's three liberals.
"I mean, I don't know. You gotta go talk to John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett. There's no excuse for it," Roy told Fox News Digital.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd argued the decision would encourage more illegal immigration.
"Agents support what Texas was trying to accomplish in the absence of true border security policies from this administration," he said.
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The razor wire was put up as part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, an initiative aimed at empowering Texas law enforcement to crack down on the migrant crisis that’s sent local and state governments across the country into crisis over strained resources and space.
"This is not over," Abbott vowed on X. "I will continue to defend Texas' constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property."
Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report