Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) joined The Faulkner Focus on Fox News for an exclusive on his resolution dropping next week that will assert the rights of states to defend themselves against the drug cartels at the southern border.

Click HERE for the full interview.

Rep. Arrington on states’ rights to defend themselves from the cartels attacking their borders is written clearly in the Constitution:

“It’s laid out very clearly and expressly written into the constitution. First of all, let’s take the Preamble. The federal government’s first and most important job is to provide for the common defense and domestic tranquility. Not happening. Chaos. Disaster. Crisis at the border. Next, you have a president who swears an oath to faithfully execute the laws of the land. That’s Article II. Not happening. No apprehension. No detention. Catch-and-release. No notice to appear. Not enforcing the laws of the land. And then you have Article IV that says the government will provide the sovereign states a republic and protect them against invasions. That’s not happening and that’s why you have Article I Section X that says when the federal government has failed to do its job to defend the border, protect its citizens, then it is the sovereign power and right inherently of the states to defend itself and their citizens. And I got to tell you, Harris, because of the paramilitary sophistication of the network of cartels, who are totally in control of the border, and of the influx of criminality, it is absolutely an invasion and a threat like we’ve never seen, to the safety and security of our citizens in Texas and throughout the border and I believe they have every constitutionally protected right to defend themselves on account of the factors I just articulated.”

Rep. Arrington on Texas spending billions of dollars on protecting the border because the federal government is failing to do so:

“I think Texans and other border states are doing everything they can with the restrictions they have jurisdictionally. We’re spending billions of dollars in Texas just to come along side of border patrol agents and ICE agents, but we’re deferring to a very defunct set of federal law enforcement because they’ve been ham-strung by the Biden Administration. There is effectively lawlessness and chaos. And Texas, the only way border states can step up and fill that gap is by exercising that sovereign right and power, again, very expressly written in the Constitution. And I think we’re way beyond that threshold and it’s driven by the failure of the federal government number one. And it’s empowered by the cartels on the other side of the border and why you’re seeing the exponential increase in drugs, human smuggling and other criminal elements.”

Rep. Arrington on working with Texas State Senator Charles Perry on introducing a joint resolution in the Texas State Legislature:

“Let me tell you, we are affirming this. At the federal level, that this is, in fact, a constitutional right and power of these sovereign states. That’s what we’re doing, affirming it. But I have leaders in the state of Texas, my colleague, for example, Senator Charles Perry out of Lubbock, Texas which is in my district, who has filed legislation that, I believe, will be taken up in August. And I believe you’ll see others do accordingly and begin the debate and in fact, I think, ultimately, exercise this right, take matters in their hands, defend their citizens and do the job the federal government has failed to do and come what may, because you might get an injunction, might go through the courts, probably will, may go all the way to the supreme court, but I think all the legitimate rights are there for these states to execute this.”

Rep. Arrington on Biden disrespecting American citizens with his open border policies, especially communities and families on the frontlines of the border: 

“Well, I think it’s completely disrespectful of the citizens who live in the communities along the border. They’ve shown no regard to prioritizing our citizens. It really is a joke. You got to stop the bleeding. We know that there is a direct cause-and-effect from the Biden policies. For Kamala Harris and this president not to have a press conference and address it for them. Not to own it and take responsibility. Call it what it is—it is a crisis. It is unthinkable. It is why I think there is a Constitutional Crisis and a real extenuating circumstance for the states to step up and state leaders along the border, I believe, for the sake of their citizens and for the quality of life that’s just being trashed by what’s coming across. And namely, the drugs that are killing people. They seized 6,000 pounds of fentanyl this year. That’s more than all of last year and that’s enough to kill every American 4 times over. That’s what we’re up against, pushed by paramilitary, narco-terrorists and we’ve got to stop it.”

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Congressman Jodey Arrington is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving the Nineteenth Congressional District of Texas. He serves as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.