Lombardo sides with Texas in fight with feds over razor wire at southern border

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo expressed support Thursday for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his long dispute with the Biden administration over the use of razor wire along the southern border.

The former Clark County sheriff joined 24 fellow Republican governors in releasing a statement backing Abbott and Texas’ continued use of the razor wire barrier, saying that states have a constitutional right to self-defense.

“President Biden and his administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the southern border,” the governors wrote in the statement.

The letter comes a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden administration in an ongoing legal battle with Texas over whether the U.S. Border Patrol has the authority to cut razor wire that had been installed as part of Abbott’s security initiative to deter migrants from entering Texas. Abbott is fighting to keep the razor wire in place.

“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border,” the governors wrote.

The Republican governors accused the Biden Administration of refusing to enforce immigration laws and allowing the mass parole of migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.

“Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation,” the governors wrote.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Lombardo said Nevada stands with Texas, and that the Lone Star State has a constitutional right to self-defense after the Biden Administration has failed to defend the border.

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which is the founder of the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, disapproved of Lombardo’s decision and criticized his immigration record, such as when he said on the campaign trail that he deported thousands of immigrants as sheriff.

“Nevada has the third highest rate of undocumented residents in the country,” the alliance said in a statement. “We should be the leader in creating welcoming and inclusive communities.”

While campaigning for governor, Lombardo faced criticism from both by immigration activists for notifying and allowing ICE agents to take undocumented immigrants into custody, and by fellow Republican candidates who accused him of being too soft on illegal immigrants.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.