According to a recent poll, the majority of American voters believe that the southern border of the U.S. is currently experiencing an invasion.
Texas counties have been at the forefront of the national conversation on invasion, championing the term and advocating for Texas’ constitutional right to self-defense. Recent findings have shed light on these discussions.
A recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that almost two-thirds of American voters believe that the ongoing situation at the southern border should be referred to as an invasion.
According to a recent survey, 64% of respondents agreed that it is accurate to describe the current situation with migrants at the border with Mexico as an ‘invasion’ of the United States.
Of those surveyed, 42% agreed that the description was “very accurate,” while 33% disagreed.
According to a recent survey, the majority of respondents, 69%, classified the situation with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as a crisis. On the other hand, 22% of participants disagreed, stating that it was not a crisis.
According to Rasmussen Reports, the latest survey indicates that the findings have remained relatively consistent since their January poll. In the previous survey, 65% of likely U.S. voters believed that it is accurate to describe the situation at the southern border as an invasion. Furthermore, a significant majority of 70% agreed that border security is a crucial national security interest, while 72% acknowledged the existence of a crisis.
The latest survey posed three important questions: Is border security a crucial national security concern for the United States at present?; Is the ongoing situation with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border a crisis?; and How accurate is it to label the current situation with migrants at the border as an “invasion” of the United States?
The telephone and online survey gathered data from 1,044 likely U.S. voters between January 2-4. The margin of error for this survey is 3%. Similarly, the second survey included 1,099 likely U.S. voters and was conducted from March 31 to April 2, with a margin of error of 3%. The polled participants were predominantly female, aged 40-64, white, and identified as Democrats.
Elected Republican officials across the country have been increasingly describing the border crisis as an invasion. This rhetoric has gained traction after former President Donald Trump referred to it as a “Biden invasion,” and many commentators started using the same terminology. Recent polling reflects the impact of this narrative on public perception.
Before three Texas counties introduced the concept and changed the national conversation by arguing that Texas and the U.S. were being invaded, the term was not being used.
On July 5, 2022, the leaders of Kinney, Goliad, and Terrell counties made a declaration of invasion. As of now, a total of 55 Texas counties have passed resolutions arguing that the federal government has neglected its authority under Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, also known as the “Guarantee Clause.” According to this clause, Texas has the right to self-defense under Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3, known as the “Self-Defense Clause,” when faced with an actual invasion or imminent danger that cannot be delayed.
Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich took a unique stance on the issue of invasion and the state’s right to self-defense. He published a formal opinion, being the first and only state attorney general to do so, drawing arguments from former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In addition to this, he presented the same case before Congress, emphasizing that the Guarantee Clause requires the United States to protect each state against invasion. Brnovich argued that this clause offers a dual protection, not only defending against foreign hostilities but also against other enterprises and more powerful neighbors, as stated in the constitution. He further asserted that this broad protection also extends to self-defense against non-state actors like cartels and gangs operating along the border.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem became the first governor in modern history to declare an invasion at the southern border before a state legislature. The only other governor to have done so was Texas Governor Sam Houston back in 1860, as reported by The Center Square.
After the November 2022 election, a former active-duty Navy JAG and national security law expert renewed the call for Texas to declare an invasion. Days later, Governor Greg Abbott addressed county judges through a letter, referring to an executive order he issued in June 2022. In the letter, he cited the Texas Disaster Act of 1975 and the U.S. Constitution as his authority to direct the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety in apprehending illegal foreign nationals who cross the border between ports of entry or commit other violations of federal law. The objective is to return them to the border at a port of entry.
The Texas Legislature, without passing an invasion resolution, has dedicated more than $11.6 billion towards border security initiatives spanning four years. In the previous year, it enacted a law to criminalize illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country, although it is presently facing legal challenges.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has emphasized that the delegates who ratified the U.S. Constitution would not have done so if they did not believe in the power to defend themselves. He has also referred to the Guarantee and Self-Defense clauses of the U.S. Constitution to support the state’s right to self-defense. Additionally, he was among the first governors to assert that the United States is facing an invasion.
Retired FBI counterintelligence leaders have recently issued a warning regarding the possibility of a terrorist attack perpetrated by criminals who are entering the country illegally, describing it as a “soft invasion.”
