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Texas' standoff with the feds in Eagle Pass is igniting calls for secession and fears of violence (www.texastribune.org)

submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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The calls for Texas to defend itself and defy the federal government have set fire to a long-simmering fight over states’ rights, emboldening right-wing figures.

Daniel Miller felt encouraged last week, as fears of a new civil war trended online and a coalition of powerful Republicans coalesced behind Gov. Greg Abbott’s standoff with the Biden administration.

As the longtime leader of Texas’ unlikely secessionist movement, Miller has for decades argued that the state is in a stranglehold by the federal government that, eventually, would prompt enough popular support for a vote to leave the union. The past week only reinforced that belief.

"It validates and confirms the position we've had all along, which is that if Texas ever wants to truly secure its border … the only way we’re going to do it is as an independent and self-governing nation,” Miller said in an interview.

At issue is the 47-acre Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, where Texas has for months been laying concertina wire along the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from crossing. In a 5-4 decision early last week, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, allowing U.S. Border Patrol agents to cut the wire to apprehend people who had crossed the river.

The narrowly written decision — which didn’t speak to whether the state had to stop laying new concertina wire — has emboldened Abbott, who vowed to continue his fight against the high court and federal government, citing Texas’ right to defend itself from what he claims is an “invasion” of migrants.

By week’s end — and as the Texas National Guard and state troopers continued to roll out wire and stifle federal agents’ access to much of the park — Abbott’s defiant calls were backed by 25 Republican governors, former President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and nearly all of Texas’ congressional delegation.

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[-] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 59 points 9 months ago

Just let them go- Texas that is. They can build a wall around the entire state, and then stop being such a massive drain on federal funds every time it snows a bit or gets a little sweaty. They can take Florida with them.

[-] Coasting0942@reddthat.com 58 points 9 months ago

I’m not giving the KKK an inch as well as condemning half the states population.

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[-] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago

Somebody check Abbott's high school yearbook, see if he won the vote for "most likely to secede".

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

Abbott graduated from Duncanville High School,[5] where he was on the track team,[6] in the National Honor Society and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed".

from his wikipedia page. I did find this running a search though. Can we make fun of him??

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Is that a pink shirt? Seems kinda... girlie?

[-] tacosplease@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

It's a blouse thank you

[-] MegaUltraChicken@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

His other shirt that day got covered in urine from being a little piss baby.

[-] visnae@lemmy.world 34 points 9 months ago

The Moskovites are on an influence campaign again I guess.

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago

Fears of succession?

Fuck 'em. Let 'em fuck around and find the fuck out. Can they take the rest of the alt-right nation with them?

[+] CaptObvious@literature.cafe 25 points 9 months ago

[deleted]

[-] acceptable_pumpkin@lemmy.world 64 points 9 months ago

No, Texas is part of the US. Instead, we should execute any of these secessionists as the treasonous people that they are.

[-] GhostFence@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago

Let them go and the white nationalists forever lose electoral power in what remains of America. As a black man... I support this reduction in threats to my life and my family's life.

[-] OpenStars@startrek.website 16 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I don't think they've ever filed the paperwork - like they keep loudly saying how they so badly want to go, but then they never follow through, can you imagine that?

Wanna fight me bro, we can go outside RIGHT NOW.

Okay.

Oh uh... I have somewhere I need to be right now...

[-] baronvonj@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago

They tried to get secession on the GOP primary ballot this year, actually. A petition with like 100k signatures. The party officials rejected it, so the secessionists asked the state supreme court to intervene. The court declined.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

All of ~~three~~ point-three percent of their population. Give or take. (edit to correct math)

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[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 9 months ago

Can we realistically move everybody who wishes to remain a US citizen? Who pays for their move?

What about all of the federal government employees, including military, who currently live and work in the state?

This kind of thing would probably take months just for physical moving of households and I wonder if we even have the throughput to get this accomplished before whatever arbitrary succession date.

No matter figuring out what happens to everybody paying into federal services such as social security and Medicare. The fed will laugh in the face of anybody trying to claim back 20 years of taxes because they aren’t using a system they paid into. 20 million or so taxpayers who decide to secede will have to just give up what they’ve invested.

[-] scytale@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago

All the 5 major cities of Texas, where most people live, are blue. Moving everyone would probably mean only the rural folk will remain.

[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 9 months ago

Texas will not cede its land. Those cities will remain under the care of Texas. That means the people who don’t wish to remain Texans must move.

There’s no way that Texas will allow independent or US-aligned havens within its borders. Have you read what their legislators have said about sanctuary cities?

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[-] SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Whoever moves would pay for themselves.

The government would pull out and relocate offices.

Texas would no longer receive imports like foods and supplies.

This is fucking stupid. Fuck around and find out. It will end in Texas crawling back and apologizing.

[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago

Let’s say you have 100k federal and military employees in Texas. Are you suggesting that they just up and move on their own dime, when joint travel regulations and US code do not allow for this?

Again, the government would pull out and not pay for their move?

It largely is not the place for the federal government to micromanage trade outside of certain “national security” line items and some sanctions. It’s a lot harder to sell sanctions on your former neighbors to the international community, let alone your own legislators.

I get the zeal, but a clean secession sucks for everybody and in no way does anybody come out on top. This is without accounting for any violence or armed conflict over disputed items like military bases, national guard posts, defense contractors like Boeing and Lockheed, and energy production facilities.

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[-] nexguy@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

What about the 45% of the state that doesn't support the Republicans?

[-] ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Nope, they have to fight their way out.

[-] azimir@lemmy.ml 25 points 9 months ago

All of this over the status quo (give or take). Just wait until the real climate change migrations state happening. That's when things really get to pop off.

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago

Won't that be Texan's wanting to move north?

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

well, yeah.

It's all projection with them. The asylum seekers are invading. because that's what they think they're gonna do. ya'know?

[-] Moobythegoldensock@lemm.ee 24 points 9 months ago

Lol do it! 26/38 of their Representatives and both their Senators are Republicans.

Goodbye House majority, goodbye Senate filibuster, goodbye any chance of a Trump victory this year. Even just 1 year of them disappearing means Democrats could get a whole lot done before they start crawling back.

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[-] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

How do you get social security when you are no longer part of the Union? I'm guessing they're would be a large boarder crossing if Texas was up for grabs. Good luck👍

[-] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 12 points 9 months ago

It's gonna be fun. When the drug. Carrels realize there is now a whole country they can take over just north of Mexico.

[-] DesertMagma@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago

Give em back to Mexico and make sure the "remain in Mexico" policy sticks. Mexico will know what to do.

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[-] SPRUNT@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Those people are hoping for violence. They believe a war is coming, and that they are poised to win.

[-] yournamehere@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago

texit. texit. texit.

there...i said it three times and they re still here.

[-] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago

In Canada, Alberta has this same notion that they got a raw deal in federalism and that secession is the answer. They are the Texans of the north: conservative, religious, oil-rich, strong capitalist rhetoric (though there is plenty of corporate welfare, of course). But Alberta is a fully landlocked province of a few million people with not much else besides oil. And, get this: they want to secede because they supposedly can't get any new oil pipelines built to the ocean in Canada. Did I mention that they are landlocked? What a bunch of morons.

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[-] Kaboom@reddthat.com 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

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[-] DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world 60 points 9 months ago

You say this as if the Republicans haven't been obstructing any kind of deal while constantly screaming about the problem, it's a wedge issue that gives them power over brown folks and something to complain about the Democrats to their base about.

We'd all love for the feds to do something about it, but those performative politics dickheads need to get out of the way for it to happen.

[-] acceptable_pumpkin@lemmy.world 47 points 9 months ago

How about all those businesses who hire illegal immigrants have their owners/executives go to jail? See how many farms, construction companies, restaurants, etc. go under. I would guess that many of these owners are registered R as well.

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[-] HopeOfTheGunblade@kbin.social 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The US doesn't run without immigrant labor. See the states who get up in arms about punishing immigrants ending up without labor to pick their crops and build their houses. Also, it's not incredibly clear why I should be upset about less than 1% of the population per year, many of whom are seasonal workers who are in that six million multiple times because they come, go, and come again.

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[-] quindraco@lemm.ee 4 points 9 months ago

6 million in 3 years is ridiculous.

In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, I don't believe you.

[-] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

DEATH TO THE STORMCLOAKS!

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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024

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