Border Patrol Union Posts Defiant Message, Says Agents Have No Issue With Texas’s Border Stance

‘Unlawful orders, as determined by competent legal counsel and not what some outhouse lawyer behind a keyboard says, will not be followed’

Texas Department of Public Safety officers work inside the fenced-off Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 11, 2024. Sam Owens/The San Antonio Express-News via AP

The union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents has declared that its agents “appreciate and respect” Texas’s efforts to secure its border amid escalating tensions between the Lone Star State and the Biden administration.

For weeks, the federal government and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have clashed after the National Guard took control of the 47-acre Shelby Park area in Eagle Pass, Texas. The Texas National Guard has been accused of denying Border Patrol agents access to the park, leading to multiple legal battles over access.

In a Jan. 26 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the labor union representing agents and support staff, stated that Border Patrol agents have no issue with Texas’s efforts to secure its border. If there are any reports suggesting otherwise, they are simply untrue, according to the union.

“Rank-and-file Border Patrol agents appreciate and respect what TX [Texas] has been doing to defend their state in the midst of this catastrophe that the Biden Admin has unleashed on America,” the NBPC stated.

“We want to be perfectly clear, there is no fight between rank-and-file BP agents and the TX National Guard, Gov. Abbott, or TX Department of Public Safety.”

Last week, the Supreme Court voted in favor of granting the federal government the power to cut or move barriers installed along stretches of the Texas border. However, Mr. Abbott has argued that nothing prevents him from ordering the National Guard to erect additional barriers and razor wire.

“President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress,” the governor said in a statement.

“Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.”

Mr. Abbott’s stance has gained support from governors in 25 states across the country. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has since called on President Biden to take control of the National Guard if Texas defies the Supreme Court ruling. The NBPC has cast doubt on whether its agents would assist the Biden administration with any action because the “rank-and-file” in the Border Patrol and the National Guard have great “respect for each other.”

“Rank-and-file BP [Border Patrol] agents are not going to start arresting TX NG [National Guard] members for following their LAWFUL orders. That’s fake news,” the union stated.

“If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out those orders. TX NG members realize that rank-and-file BP agents have their orders as well.”

The NBPC also indicated that its agents might consider ignoring orders that could be considered unlawful or from a less-than-reputable source.

“Lawful orders, no matter how unpopular or distasteful among rank-and-file agents, must be followed,” the union stated.

“Unlawful orders, as determined by competent legal counsel and not what some outhouse lawyer behind a keyboard says, will not be followed.”

Enforcing immigration law has traditionally fallen under the federal government’s purview. The Texas state government has cited its constitutional right to have the “sovereign authority to protect its borders because the President refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.” This stance comes as the state struggles to cope with a record-breaking number of illegal immigrants crossing into Texas.