'Texas is holding the line': Brent Smith praises Gov Greg Abbott on 'Fox & Friends' for border security measures

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: During the January 26 episode of 'Fox & Friends,' co-host Brian Kilmeade was joined by Texas rancher Brent Smith to discuss the right of states to defend themselves.

An attorney at Kinney County by profession, Smith was also vocal about his support for Republican Gov Greg Abbott, who was fighting the federal government for the "safety and security" of the citizens.

"Every state has the right to self-defense if there is an invasion or an imminent danger occurs to the citizens," said Smith. "Texas is holding the line. We have to. We don't have a choice at this point. This has gone way beyond a policy issue of immigration. This is about the safety and security of Texans and the United States."

The clash between Texas Governor and federal government

Texas had installed razor fencing along the border near Eagle Pass to stop the entry of illegal immigrants into the state. The federal government pushed back but received an injunction from a lower court that prevented them from cutting it down.

However, on January 2, the Supreme Court ruled to temporarily overturn the injunction in a 5-4 decision on an emergency appeal.

Abbott declared his constitutional authority to reserve the right of his state to self-defense against an invasion late at night on January 24. He blamed the executive branch for breaking its constitutional pact with the states by failing to enforce federal immigration laws.

"Texas has a right as a state to stop criminals from coming into our state. There's really only one person in America not doing their job, and that's the president of the United States," he said in a later interview.

Brent Smith's argument in support of Greg Abbott

"I believe (Abbott) has all the authority he needs to secure the state and, more importantly, the safety and security of his citizens," stated Smith, claiming that the governor was "not in defiance" of the federal government and was upholding his oath.

"Every day there's enough people that die from fentanyl, that a 747 goes down every day. Could you imagine in America (if) a 747 airplane crashed every single day? There'd be hearings, there'd be congressional oversight, you know, all kinds of things. But today, no one's blinking an eye, or we're going to wait until 200,000 die or 300,000 before we do something?" he continued.

"So what does this come to? Are we in the death pact, where we don't have a choice but to be invaded and lose our state? Surely not. That's not what the founders would have ever wanted, or ever agreed to, nor would the states," he added.