Attorney General Skrmetti Joins 24 State Coalition Supporting Texas’ Right to Self-Defense

NASHVILLE - Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of state attorneys general in a legal brief arguing that Texas has a right to defend itself against invasion. The coalition of 24 state attorneys general, led by Kansas, filed the amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals late last week.

“The federal government has abdicated its responsibility,” Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. “The Constitution is not a suicide pact and the states have a right and an obligation to engage in self-defense.” 

The attorneys general argue that the federal government has lost operational control of the southern border, and Texas has a right to protect its citizens by constructing barriers along the border it shares with Mexico.

“Human and drug trafficking are on the rise, driven by cartels in Mexico. At the same time, the massive influx of illegal aliens has strained state resources meant to provide and protect the U.S. citizen and lawfully present aliens in the states,” the brief reads. “…The Constitution preserves the States’ ability to act in their self-defense.”

The attorneys general argue that Texas’s defense of its border protects interior states as well.

In total, 22 other states joined Tennessee and Kansas in the amicus brief. They include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Virginia.

The brief can be read here.

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