Texas comes to Kentucky: Actions and reactions in Frankfort to Biden's border fight

FRANKFORT - Republicans in the state Capitol aren't satisfied with Kentucky's efforts to stop undocumented immigration from countries south of the U.S.

Attorney General Russell Coleman is one of over two dozen attorneys general who signed a letter of support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his dispute with the federal government at the Mexican border.

His support comes as two resolutions were put forward in the state legislature criticizing President Joe Biden and calling on Gov. Andy Beshear to "express support for Governor Greg Abbott and the State of Texas in their efforts to secure the border." One of them, House Resolution 57, was approved Tuesday in a 77-17 vote on the House floor.

Coleman said his support derives from his concern over fentanyl and other controlled substances entering the U.S. through the border, directly impacting Kentucky neighborhoods.

“President Biden’s failed open border policy gives drug cartels and criminals a free pass to pour their deadly poison into our country. As a result, Kentucky has become a border state, and our children are at risk,” Coleman said in a news release. “The crisis at the southern border demands a strong response, and I am proud to stand with Governor Abbott in defending the people of Texas.”

The two resolutions in the legislature accuse Biden of failing to enforce federal immigration laws, resulting in more than 2.4 million encounters with migrants at the border in 2023, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. They call on Beshear to join 25 other governors, all Republicans, who signed a statement this month backing Abbott.

Through the border security initiative Operation Lone Star, Texas has implemented physical barriers barring both immigrants and federal agents from accessing the border. As part of the $11 billion border security initiative, Texas has implemented several measures to block migrants from entering the state, including setting up razor wire, placing large water buoys in the Rio Grande and building segments of a state border wall.

From USA TODAY: What to know about GOP governors' letter supporting Texas in border control fight

At a House State Government Committee meeting Tuesday called over HR 57, Rep. Richard Heath said border crossings are "a matter of national security" before the measure was approved on a 15-3 party-line vote ahead of its hearing in the House. And Rep. Rebecca Raymer was one of several Republicans who said the resolution is not "political theater."

Still, the meeting gave committee members an opportunity to echo Republican talking points about the border and illegal immigration, which have become hot topics as campaigning ahead of the 2024 presidential election heats up. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner, recently urged fellow Republicans to block a bipartisan bill that would have paired border enforcement efforts such as denying asylum applications in the event of too many migrant encounters with aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia, calling it a "gift" for Democrats.

Heath and Raymer essentially declined to comment to reporters after the hearing about the federal border security bill opposed by Trump, which U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has said would be "dead on arrival" if it reached his chamber.

State Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, noted the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld previous rulings that the federal government is responsible for border security, a decision that came after Texas sued the U.S. government on accusations federal agents destroyed state property when they cut wire along the Rio Grande last year. She questioned whether the resolution urged the governor to support defying that Supreme Court ruling, which "violates our rule of law."

Heath, though, said "there are some states' rights that come into play," as Abbott has argued the Supreme Court's decision is superseded by a section in the U.S. Constitution that allows states to defend themselves without approval from Congress in the event of an invasion.

"It depends on how you look at the border. Some of us look at as an invasion," Heath said. "They're coming across in such large numbers, this isn't just illegal border crossing anymore. This is an invasion of our country."

Heath acknowledged to reporters he didn't know specifics of how migrants can apply for asylum, though he later said individuals who cross the border are told to reappear in court several years later - and "they're not going to come back to court."

"I've seen that much on Fox News. I watch Fox News. That's all I've got," he said before leaving the room.

Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton of Louisville was one of the Democrats who voted against the measure in the committee meeting, accusing Republicans of playing politics in a brief statement.

"I do agree that immigration reform is needed, but I also believe that we know that there's a policy with the U.S. Constitution, and that to lay this at the feet of the president and our governor, I just feel like it is a political ploy and also disingenuous," she said.

Beshear, for his part, said he has "always avoided pick-a-side politics" during his time as governor and attorney general, a post he held from 2015 through 2019. He noted Kentucky has sent more than 850 National Guard members to the southern border, a group he recognized at the Capitol last October with the Governor’s Outstanding Unit Citation.

"In doing so, we answered the call of our country, not the clamor of the latest political outrage," Beshear said in an emailed statement. "... I have concerns that today’s resolutions are based on a legal theory that was previously used to support secession. I am a proud American who will always support our one nation under God.”

Coleman, who's now in the attorney general's office after winning last year's election, said he joined the multistate coalition standing with Abbott as he issues new border control measures after "the failure of the Biden Administration to protect the country," according to a news release. Other attorneys general have co-signed their support, including those from neighboring states Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee.

This month the federal government sought an emergency ruling that would allow agents to cut or remove the razor wire to reach migrants or officers in distress and to patrol the southern border. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal agents can do so.

The ruling did not seem to deter Abbott, who posted on social saying, "this is not over."

Last week White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said governors who "truly want to help with the issue at the border" should work with their senators and congressional representatives.

"They need to ask them to make sure that they have the resources they need within their respective states to take action to actually deal with a broken system," she said.

While the situation at the border has made headlines recently, the resolutions are not the first time Kentucky GOP members have used it to take aim at the governor.

During the Republican gubernatorial primary last year, candidate Kelly Craft frequently brought up illegal immigration, describing Kentucky as a "border state" in ads and social media posts. In one TV ad in January 2023 filmed at the border, Craft, a former U.N. ambassador, said Beshear and Biden "are ignoring the border crisis," which has led to an increase in drug overdoses Kentucky. Craft, who promised to "secure our state's borders," finished third in the primary.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach Rachel Smith at rksmith@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Texas border crossing controversy draws stir in Kentucky legislature