Kansas Governor weighs in on Texas border fight

TOPEKA, Kan. ( KSNT ) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is weighing in on the conflict at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republican-led states are sending troops to stand with Texas as tensions rise amid the ‘border battle’ with the federal government. Kansas has sent troops to the border in the past.

In an interview Wednesday, Nexstar’s Kansas Capitol Bureau asked Governor Kelly whether Kansas will send troops to help Texas.

“The National Guard on a state level, I’m the Commander-in-Chief, but when they go to the Border, they’re federalized, and they’re actually responding to the President at that point,” Kelly said. “The border issue is a federal issue, so if the President decides to federalize some Kansas troops, then they will go.”

In 2021, responded to pushback from Republican legislators on Texas’ border crisis. At the time, the Governor’s administration said that 250 National Guard Soldiers had been deployed to the border since October 2020.

Nexstar’s Kansas Capitol Bureau asked the Governor’s Office to clarify where she stands on the current conflict. Brianna Johnson, Communications Director for the Governor, sent the following statement on Wednesday.

“It’s clear our immigration system is broken, hurting the safety of our communities, our agriculture industry and our overall economy,” Johnson wrote. “Governor Kelly urges action at the federal level to solve this and supports current efforts to find a bipartisan path forward. Kansas national guardsmen and women were previously sent to support the federal government’s efforts to strengthen border protections.”

These comments come after Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach joined a 27-state coalition in support of Texas’ border defense.

Last week, the Supreme Court authorized border patrol agents to remove wire installed on the border by the state of Texas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said it was installed to prevent illegal crossings. However, the federal government said it was preventing agents from being able to reach migrants in distress. This ignited a fight for control at the border.

In Kobach’s statement released Tuesday, he emphasized his support to stand with Texas in the dispute.

“If President Biden wants to stop the border crisis, he can start right now, today, by enforcing existing immigration laws, by reinstating the remain-in-Mexico policy that is required by federal law and by building the wall,” Kobach said. “Instead, Biden has taken an America-last position – allowing illegal aliens, illicit drugs, and human traffickers to pour into the country. We support Texas’s efforts to protect its citizens and all Americans from this invasion.”

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