Kentucky's newly-elected Attorney General has weighed in on the border battle between Texas and the federal government.
Attorney General Russell Coleman issued a statement in support of Texas Governor Greg Abbott in his fight with the Biden administration.
In a post on X, Coleman said "If Governor Beshear won’t say it, I will. Kentucky stands with Governor Greg Abbott and Texas’ right to self-defense on the Southern Border. President Biden’s failed open border has let poison that’s killing our kids pour into Kentucky and made us a border state."
Federal officials have renewed demands for the state to give Border Patrol agents access to a riverfront park that is a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the U.S. Texas has installed rows of razor wire in the park and says more is being added after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Border Patrol agents to cut or remove the sharp metal barrier.
The fencing has become one of Republican Governor Abbott's most visible measures to deter migrants in the border city of Eagle Pass.
Texas seized control of the park this month and began denying entry to Border Patrol agents, escalating a feud between Abbott and President Joe Biden's administration, which the governor accuses of not doing enough to curb illegal crossings.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security sent the state a letter demanding access again to Shelby Park, which is next to the Rio Grande.
“To our knowledge, Texas has only permitted access to Shelby Park by allowing public entry for a memorial, the media, and use of the golf course adjacent to Shelby Park, all while continuing to restrict U.S. Border Patrol’s access to the park,” the letter read.
It asked Texas to respond by Friday.
On social media, Abbott struck a defiant tone, issuing a statement that said Texas had a “constitutional right to self-defense” but did not address access to the park. Abbott is traveling in India and was not in the country when a divided Supreme Court on Monday handed down the order without comment or explicit mention of access to the park.
