RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — While some governors are backing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in his standoff against the federal government over border authority, North Carolina’s governor is not.
On Friday, Governor Roy Cooper (D) shared the following statement with CBS 17, where he spoke on the issue for the first time.
“A bipartisan Senate is close to the strongest border security law in a generation but Donald Trump is telling Republicans to stop because a tough border law hurts his campaign. If Republican Governors really wanted strong border security now they would release a joint statement supporting this legislation instead of one that bows to Trump and urges violating the constitution and the rule of law.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper
North Carolina is the only state in the southeast where the Governor hasn’t backed Abbott.
While Cooper disagrees with Abbott, North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor has a different opinion.
Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson (R) shared the following statement on X.
“I applaud Gov. @GregAbbott_TX’s efforts to secure our border. President Biden and the Democrats have created a massive humanitarian crisis that is damaging our country. From encounters with those on terrorist watch lists to cartels smuggling dangerous drugs like fentanyl, the border is out of control and getting worse. Our country needs more governors like Gov. Abbott to step up into the gap and tell Biden enough is enough. As your governor, I will partner with law enforcement at all levels to tackle the fentanyl crisis, crack down on illegal immigration and make our country safer and more secure.”
Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson
On Tuesday, the Texas National Guard appeared to ignore a Supreme Court decision and continued building razor wire barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, preventing the federal Border Patrol from doing their jobs.
In a statement Wednesday, Abbott justified the actions by claiming his authority to combat an “invasion” of the state “supersedes” federal law.
Abbott’s statement Wednesday specifically claims the federal government has “broken the compact” with the states, justifying ignoring federal law and the Supreme Court.
The so-called “compact theory” is a rejected idea of state supremacy used to justify the secession of Confederate states during the Civil War. The Supreme Court repeatedly shot down the legal theory in the early years of the U.S., when it was first proposed to nullify federal legislation during former President John Adams’s time in office.
