‘Madison knew that states must have the means to defend themselves’
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted a message to social media Monday, providing historical context to his recent measures rolled out in order to secure the state’s border.
“Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself from invasion. What Texas is doing is exactly what James Madison said would be protected by the Constitution,” he wrote.
The governor then shared an example of how Virginia was previously allowed to use its militia to quell a smuggling racket penetrating state lines.
“One of the most crucial rights granted in the U.S. Constitution is a state’s ability to secure its own border. James Madison, the ‘Father of the Constitution,’ emphasized that Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 would allow Virginia’s state militia ‘to be called forth to suppress smugglers’ who had endangered their state. Those smugglers were bringing contraband into the state and threatened the sovereignty of Virginia’s borders.”
He continued the history lesson, “Madison knew that states must have the means to defend themselves. John Marshall reinforced this right held by states. He too was an important advocate for ratifying the Constitution, and later a Chief Justice on the Supreme Court. Marshall explained that Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 ‘clearly proves that the states can use the militia when they find it necessary,’ to respond to an invasion or imminent danger.”
“Today, Texas faces a similar but starker threat than Virginia’s smugglers, with Mexican drug cartels that operate as paramilitary forces on our border. The criminal smuggling activity faced by Texas far exceeds Madison’s criteria for use of a state militia. We will continue to build barriers that deny illegal entry into our state, arrest immigrants that cross illegally, and fulfill our duty to secure our border,” the GOP governor concluded his statement.
Abbott’s message is also fitting as Monday is Presidents’ Day and Madison, a Founding Father, also served as the fourth president of the United States.