The standoff at the U.S.-Mexico border
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 31 January 2024
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters. In Eagle Pass, the state of Texas has taken over. But what Texas is doing is illegal and could lead to a Constitutional crisis. Rep. Eddie Morales and Stephen Vladeck join Meghna Chakrabarti.
Editor's note: On Point reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the White House, Governor Greg Abbott’s office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Military Department, and the Texas Attorney General’s Office. All of them either declined our request for an interview or did not respond.
About:
Hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, On Point is WBUR’s award-winning, daily public radio show and podcast. Its unique combination of original reporting, first-person stories, and in-depth analysis creates an experience that makes the world more intelligible and humane. Deep dives. Original stories. Fresh takes.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Funding for this podcast comes from Math Works, creators of Mat Lab and Simulink software, |
| 0:06.0 | accelerating the pace of engineering and science. Learn more at Mathworks. |
| 0:11.0 | This is on point. I'm Magnichocrobardi. Work's dot com. |
| 0:12.7 | This is on point. I'm Megna Chocrabardi. |
| 0:15.3 | In Eagle Past Texas, a tense political standoff continues between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President |
| 0:22.3 | Joe Biden. |
| 0:23.8 | The federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters in this country, especially |
| 0:29.4 | at the border. |
| 0:31.0 | But in Eagle Pass, it's the state that's taken over. |
| 0:34.3 | Compared to what we're used to seeing, baseball games, soccer games, we are met with |
| 0:40.5 | national guardsmen, shipping containers, razor wire, and I believe today they're adding even more razor. |
| 0:48.2 | That's Eagle Pass resident Carlos Herrera. |
| 0:52.1 | Earlier this month, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott |
| 0:55.4 | deployed Texas National Guardsmen and state troopers |
| 0:59.0 | to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass. |
| 1:02.0 | They took over the park, which had been used by federal Border Patrol agents to process thousands of migrants crossing the border at Eagle Pass every day. |
| 1:10.0 | But now, the Texas law enforcement officers refuse access to U.S. Border Patrol agents. |
| 1:17.0 | This is in defiance of federal jurisdiction, but Governor Abbott argues Texas is asserting its right to defend itself against what he says is quote |
| 1:27.6 | an invasion of migrants. Here's Abbott on Fox News last week. |
| 1:33.0 | Authors of the Constitution knew there would be times when the federal government would not |
| 1:37.2 | live up to his duty. |
| 1:38.8 | And so they have empowered states in Article I, Section 10, the right of self-defense. |
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