'Tennessee has always stood with Texas': Why Gov. Bill Lee and other state GOP are backing TX on border issue

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and several state lawmakers shared support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, after Abbot accused the Biden administration of breaking the compact with states.

Abbott's letter followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed federal Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire installed by Texas on the U.S. Mexico border. Abbott declared an "invasion" at the border late last year.

Tennessee is among more than two-dozen Republican-controlled states voicing support for Abbott and his fight with the federal government. The Republican Governors Association released a statement saying the Biden administration is leaving "Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border."

Lee is taking over as the RGA's chair this year. In his own statement on Thursday, Lee said the Biden administration is putting the nation's security at risk.

"The federal government’s failure to secure our nation’s southern border is jeopardizing the safety of all Americans," Lee wrote in a social media post on Thursday morning. "Tennessee has always stood with Texas, and we always will."

Meanwhile, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced his office was joining with 26 other states and many of their attorneys general in sending a letter to the Biden administration voicing their support for Texas.

“Securing our border isn’t a political or ideological issue, it’s a matter of basic governmental competence,” Skrmetti said in a statement Monday. “The record-breaking number of illegal entries has strained resources in states and cities across the country, even those far removed from the border. Texas is fulfilling its duty to enforce the law and protect its citizens given the federal abdication of serious border enforcement. America would be better off if the federal government worked toward collaboration rather than confrontation with the states that are working to solve the problem.”

At the Tennessee legislative level, House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, honored Abbott's decision on the House floor, calling the situation a "battle of federalism."

"The Biden administration has continuously failed to protect our country from an overflow of fentanyl, crime, and 6 million immigrants for the last three years," Faison said. "Now, Gov. Greg Abbott is going to go toe-to-toe with the federal government because Texas can no longer afford to stand down and watch this invasion happen. Here in Tennessee, we stand with the Republic of Texas against a tyrannical federal government."

What states are supporting Texas?

Governors from the following states signed the statement supporting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott:

• Alabama

• Alaska

• Arkansas

• Florida

• Georgia

• Idaho

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Louisiana

• Mississippi

• Missouri

• Montana

• Nebraska

• Nevada

• New Hampshire

• North Dakota

• Ohio

• Oklahoma

• South Carolina

• South Dakota

• Tennessee

• Utah

• Virginia

• West Virginia

• Wyoming

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is the only Republican governor who did not sign onto the statement to support Abbott.

USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Tennessee governor and others are saying about Texas border issue