{"id":212263,"date":"2025-11-24T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/?p=212263"},"modified":"2025-11-24T04:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T10:30:00","slug":"greg-abbott-trump-presidential-power-state-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/11\/24\/greg-abbott-trump-presidential-power-state-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Greg Abbott, long a defender of states\u2019 rights, embraces Trump&#8217;s push to expand presidential power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em>This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. <a href=\"https:\/\/go.propublica.org\/big-story-tt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign up for ProPublica\u2019s Big Story newsletter<\/a> to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_damyZH7d9xa?client=wp&amp;client_version=3.0.3&amp;ui_cover_art=false&amp;ui_title_intro=Listen+to+this+article&amp;ui_title_icon=headphones\" width=\"100%\" height=\"130px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><style>.wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed { margin: 0 !important; }<\/style><div class=\"everlit-disclaimer\" style=\"margin: 0;\"><div style=\"margin-top: -0.5rem;font-size: 0.7rem;color: #4a4a4a;font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif\">Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/about\/ethics\/#ai-policy\">AI policy<\/a>, and give us <a href=\"https:\/\/airtable.com\/appFeleeKVUN0Iytx\/pagPG40gbkU0EfjIr\/form\">feedback<\/a>.<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Just last year, Texas <a href=\"https:\/\/directory.texastribune.org\/greg-abbott\/\">Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a> joined a bipartisan chorus of governors in denouncing a Biden administration plan they said would strip states of powers guaranteed to them under federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plan would have transferred Air National Guard units from six states to the U.S. Space Force, the newly created military branch, stoking concerns about federal overreach and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nga.org\/advocacy-communications\/letters-nga\/letter-to-dod-on-maintaining-governor-authority-of-national-guard\/\">erosion of governors\u2019 control<\/a> over their own guard forces. Texas wasn\u2019t among the affected states, but Abbott made his opposition unmistakable in an <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.texas.gov\/uploads\/files\/press\/Joseph_Biden_Texas_National_Guard_Space_Force_Letter_05.03.2024.pdf\">open letter to the president<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He called the plan an \u201cintolerable threat that would set a \u201cdangerous precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI strongly oppose any attempt to sideline governors when it comes to their respective National Guards,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A year later, Abbott helped Donald Trump do just that. He said that he \u201cfully authorized\u201d the president\u2019s plan to send Texas National Guard members to Illinois and Oregon to protect federal law enforcement personnel who are executing immigration laws. Those states\u2019 governors vigorously objected, saying such action was an unnecessary escalation that interfered with state sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott defended the deployment on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6382389613112\">Fox News<\/a>. The president, he said, has the authority to mobilize guard members to preserve public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPresident Trump and I have a good, longstanding working relationship, and there is a substantive reason behind that,\u201d Abbott said. He added that he and the president were \u201coperating very closely aligned on ensuring that our country is going to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott, the leader of the largest state led by Republicans, has emerged as one of Trump\u2019s most important allies as the president tests the limits of executive power. While governors often align with their parties\u2019 presidents, Abbott\u2019s support for Trump\u2019s expansion of federal powers is a striking departure from his own historical and ardent defenses of state sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That, constitutional experts say, sets a risky example that may be difficult to reverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat he\u2019s doing is short-term gain for his political positions, and Texas\u2019 political positions, but not for Texas as a state moving forward,\u201d said Georgetown University Law Center professor Victoria Nourse. \u201cYou might like this president, but you\u2019re not necessarily going to like what happens to Texas with the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are myriad examples of Abbott bending his views on state sovereignty to accede to the wishes of the new administration, including directing state agencies to assist the administration\u2019s immigration enforcement \u2014 an action that constitutional law experts said essentially deputized the Texas government into federal service \u2014 as well as providing data on voters and redrawing legislative boundaries to net more GOP-friendly seats in the U.S. House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott\u2019s arguments then and actions now are an example of what Jessica Bulman-Pozen, a constitutional law professor at Columbia University, calls partisan federalism, a term describing how state leaders\u2019 fervor for defending their sovereignty increasingly depends on whether their party is in power in Washington. She said Abbott\u2019s support of the guard deployments is particularly alarming because it diminishes the traditional power of governors to manage law enforcement in their states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott did not respond to interview requests or written questions from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. But Robert Henneke, general counsel for the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, and James Peinado, chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas, which advocates for limited government, said they saw no contradiction between Abbott\u2019s historic defense of states\u2019 authority and his support of Trump\u2019s actions. Trump is following the law, Henneke said, and \u201cthe states don\u2019t have the power to block the lawful exercise of authority of the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott\u2019s actions, however, have drawn rebuke from fellow governors, including at least one from his own party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/09\/us\/politics\/oklahoma-governor-national-guard.html\">told The New York Times<\/a> that he was surprised Abbott sent Texas guard members to Illinois. \u201cWe believe in the federalist system \u2014 that\u2019s states\u2019 rights. Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration,\u201d said Stitt, who did not respond to interview requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ron Beal, a retired law professor at Baylor University, said Abbott\u2019s actions not only violate the historic spirit of cooperation among states, but provide Trump cover to unlawfully interfere in state matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s reason for sending troops is clearly a total fabrication of reality and I believe a constitutional violation,\u201d Beal said. \u201cIt is simply outrageous that Abbott would participate and cooperate with such activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"212268\" 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https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-18T195408Z_1904073588_RC2HEHAUFSS9_RTRMADP_3_USA-TRUMP-PROTESTS-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-18T195408Z_1904073588_RC2HEHAUFSS9_RTRMADP_3_USA-TRUMP-PROTESTS-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-1024x683.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a Chicago \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest against President Donald Trump\u2019s policies on Oct. 18. <span class=\"image-credit\">Jim Vondruska\/Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shifting view of federal power<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott\u2019s devotion to state sovereignty has long been central to his political identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2016, entering his second year as governor, he published a <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.texas.gov\/uploads\/files\/press\/Restoring_The_Rule_Of_Law_01082016.pdf\">92-page essay<\/a> defending states\u2019 rights and decrying what he called the Obama administration\u2019s executive overreach. In a speech that month to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, he accused President Barack Obama of bypassing Congress by enacting climate change and immigration policy through unilateral executive orders. Abbott also lambasted the Supreme Court for upholding the Affordable Care Act, arguing the justices invented a legal basis for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cState leaders were supposed to have the power and opportunity to check any attempt by federal officials to overstep their bounds,\u201d Abbott wrote. \u201cIndeed, the entire structure of the Constitution was premised on the idea that the states would be stronger than the national government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott proposed the \u201cTexas Plan,\u201d a set of nine constitutional amendments that he said would restore the balance of authority between the federal government and states. Among them was one that would make clear that the president, Congress and judges have no powers beyond those expressly mentioned in the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The essay offered a well-reasoned critique of growing federal power, said Sanford Levinson, a constitutional law professor at the University of Texas, who has assigned it as required reading for his students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levinson said Abbott\u2019s recent actions mark a complete reversal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe condemned presidents for overreach, particularly in executive orders, and said we had to do something to rein that in. There\u2019s much to be said for that, but that is certainly not his view in 2025,\u201d Levinson said. \u201cMost of what Trump does is through executive order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump has sought to use executive orders to force changes to elections and voting. He has also pressured state leaders to make changes on his behalf, and Abbott has obliged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the summer, Abbott became the first governor to comply with Trump\u2019s demand that Republican-led states break from the traditional 10-year cycle of redrawing congressional districts to create more GOP-friendly seats for the 2026 midterm election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially sympathetic to incumbent Republican House members\u2019 worries that the strategy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/07\/22\/texas-redistricting-abbott-republicans-resistant-trump\/\">could weaken solid GOP seats<\/a> by spreading the party\u2019s voters across too many districts, Abbott ultimately called a special session of the Texas Legislature to draft new congressional boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas lawmakers in 2003 similarly conducted a rare mid-decade redistricting, but that was not directed by then-President George W. Bush, said Karl Rove, one of Bush\u2019s senior advisers. \u201cThe White House and RNC didn\u2019t provoke or lead the effort,\u201d Rove said in a text message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A governor allowing a president to influence when a state redistricts cedes the historical power of states to run their own elections, said Mimi Marziani, who teaches election law at the University of Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said Trump\u2019s request for more GOP-friendly seats \u201chas everything to do with national party interests and nothing to do with state interests.\u201d And she warned that if governors give in, they will be vulnerable to future presidential meddling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this month, Trump endorsed Abbott for reelection, citing redistricting as one of the governor\u2019s key accomplishments. A week later, a panel of three federal judges <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/11\/18\/texas-redistricting-ruling-lawsuit-el-paso-court-2026-midterms\/\">blocked the state\u2019s newly drawn congressional map from taking effect<\/a>, finding that it discriminated against voters based on race. On Tuesday, Abbott said Texas would \u201cswiftly appeal\u201d to the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott\u2019s cooperation has extended to sharing voter registration data with Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas joined more than a dozen states in turning over voter roll information to the Justice Department, despite long-standing resistance to federal oversight of state elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Constitution allows states to run elections, subject to oversight by Congress. But Trump sought greater control over the process, issuing an executive order in March that prioritized enforcing the federal laws that bar noncitizens from voting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"212269\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/11\/24\/greg-abbott-trump-presidential-power-state-rights\/1108-houston-election-day-ms-05-1_preview_maxwidth_3000_maxheight_3000_ppi_72_embedcolorprofile_true_quality_95\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"1108 Houston Election Day MS 05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-212269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C533&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Houston-Election-Day-MS-05-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-1024x683.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Voters cast ballots at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston. <span class=\"image-credit\">Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump has repeatedly claimed that noncitizens are voting en masse to sway U.S. elections in favor of Democrats, while research has shown this not to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent voter roll audit by the Texas secretary of state, using a federal citizenship database, flagged 2,724 voters \u2014 or 0.015% \u2014 as potential noncitizens. Preliminary investigations by county voter registrars, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/10\/31\/texas-county-election-officials-investigate-potential-noncitizens\/\">found that some of those voters are citizens<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acting on Trump\u2019s order, the Justice Department requested from states their entire voter rolls, including dates of birth, addresses, driver\u2019s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, according to a letter sent to Texas and obtained by ProPublica and the Tribune under public records laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Records show that Texas provided voter roll information to the Justice Department in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas secretary of state spokesperson Alicia Pierce told ProPublica and the Tribune that the secretary of state provided only the publicly available version of its voter roll, which redacts information such as driver\u2019s license and Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Justice Department is suing eight states, six of which had provided or offered publicly available versions of their voter rolls because they did not include all the information the federal government sought. One such state is Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis request, and reported efforts to collect broad data on millions of Americans, represent a concerning attempt to expand the federal government\u2019s role in our country\u2019s electoral process,\u201d Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/26070850-pa-dos-8-21-25-response\/\">wrote to the Justice Department<\/a> in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre declined to comment on why the federal government had not included Texas among the states it was suing for failing to share all the information the government sought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the same month that Texas quietly handed over the limited voter roll, Secretary of State Jane Nelson, an Abbott appointee, announced her office had finished running the full roll, along with Social Security numbers, through a federal database to check voters\u2019 citizenship status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Department of Homeland Security stores voter data uploaded by state officials, DHS records <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/dhs-social-security-data-voter-citizenship-trump\">obtained by ProPublica found<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nelson\u2019s office did not answer questions about whether doing so essentially provided the federal government with even more data on Texas voters than it had initially sought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"212271\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/11\/24\/greg-abbott-trump-presidential-power-state-rights\/2025-10-07t104520z_900564754_mt1zuma000sud1wo_rtrmadp_3_zuma_preview_maxwidth_3000_maxheight_3000_ppi_72_embedcolorprofile_true_quality_95\/\" 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data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Armed guard members in camouflage fatigues.\" class=\"wp-image-212271\" 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https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C533&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-10-07T104520Z_900564754_MT1ZUMA000SUD1WO_RTRMADP_3_ZUMA_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95-1024x683.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7. <span class=\"image-credit\">Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune\/ZUMA Press\/Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In limbo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott embraced Trump\u2019s deployment of Texas National Guard troops under a novel interpretation of a federal law that authorizes the mobilization of troops to quell a rebellion or threat of rebellion, or if \u201cregular forces\u201d are unable to enforce federal law. No modern president has invoked the law to assist in carrying out immigration policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite Abbott\u2019s support, the 400 Texas National Guard troops mobilized by Trump are still not on the streets of Illinois or Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal judges temporarily halted the deployments after Oregon and Illinois sued the Trump administration, arguing that its actions violate the 10th Amendment, which gives the states all powers not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The states\u2019 arguments echo those Abbott made in his 2016 essay, in which he warned that Washington too often ignored that amendment to impose its will on states. He proposed making it easier for states to sue the federal government over alleged abuses of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is handling the Illinois case, had a similar take. In an Oct. 16 ruling, the court said the Texas troop mobilization was \u201can incursion on Illinois\u2019s sovereignty\u201d and likely a violation of the 10th Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The litigation kept Texas Guard members who were deployed to the Chicago area more than a month ago in limbo, unable to carry out what Trump wanted them to but unable to leave. A U.S. Defense Department spokesperson said the 200 guard members who were training at a base in Illinois returned to Texas last week. The rest, bound for Oregon, remain at Fort Bliss in El Paso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court has placed the Illinois case on its emergency docket and is considering the parties\u2019 written arguments. The court\u2019s pending ruling would likely apply to the Oregon case as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the uncertainty regarding the deployment\u2019s legality, Trump suggested in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/10\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-japan-national-guard-us-cities.html\">October speech<\/a> to U.S. military members that he was prepared to send troops, including active-duty units, into more cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abbott\u2019s cooperation thus far will make it harder for other states to resist Trump in future deployments, said James Gardner, a constitutional law professor at the University at Buffalo. The framers of the Constitution intended for states to stand with one another to ensure officials in Washington never accumulated too much power, Gardner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that while Abbott, who is seeking a record fourth term next year, would likely rediscover his passion for states\u2019 rights if a Democrat were elected president, the governor may struggle to regain power he helped take away from the states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy altering the Constitution\u2019s contemplated balance of power, it makes it easier for the central government to crush dissenting states,\u201d Gardner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/people\/misty-harris\">Misty Harris<\/a> of The Texas Tribune and <em>ProPublica<\/em><\/em> <em>contributed research.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Disclosure: Baylor University, New York Times, Texas Public Policy Foundation and Texas Secretary of State have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/support-us\/corporate-sponsors\/\">list of them here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defending Texas sovereignty has been central to Abbott\u2019s political identity. 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