The judges and commissioners from Frio, Karnes, La Salle, and Medina counties in Texas have declared an invasion at the southern border. These county officials have joined forces with Atascosa County Judge Weldon Cude, who was elected recently, to form a new coalition. The purpose of this coalition is to encourage other counties to declare an invasion and protect the sovereignty of Texas.
Judge Cude, who was one of the 87 judges newly elected in November, expressed his surprise at the lack of invasion declarations by other counties when he assumed office in January. In an exclusive interview with The Center Square, he questioned why counties wouldn’t declare an invasion considering the influx of people from around the world, arriving through various means such as buses, planes, or illegal smuggling, bringing with them both people and drugs. According to Cude, with millions crossing the southern border, it is undeniably an invasion.
Before becoming a county judge, Cude served for six terms as a county commissioner in a predominantly Hispanic, rural area south of San Antonio that typically leans Republican. In February, during an orientation for judges, Cude met Kinney County Judge John Paul Schuster, who shared his county’s crisis. The two judges began reaching out to their counterparts, resulting in the declaration of an invasion by four more counties. They also formed a coalition with judges from neighboring counties, aiming to ensure their residents’ safety, security, and well-being while employing legal means to address the ongoing crisis.
The judges and commissioners of Frio, Karnes, La Salle, and Medina officially declared an invasion by signing a resolution. The movement to declare an invasion originated in Kinney County, which issued a disaster declaration on April 21, 2021. Since then, over 50 counties have followed suit, issuing disaster declarations in response to the border crisis.
On July 5, 2022, Kinney, Goliad, and Terrell counties declared an invasion, followed shortly by Edwards and Presidio counties. By January 2023, at least 42 counties had declared an invasion. On the first anniversary of the invasion declaration, officials from Kinney, Goliad, and Terrell counties called on other counties to join in declaring an invasion.
The officials of the newly declared counties signed the same resolution titled “A resolution calling for additional measures to secure the border, stop the invasion at the border, and protect our communities.” The resolution emphasizes the federal government’s responsibility to ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
It also highlights the governor of Texas’s authority as commander in chief, granted by the Texas Constitution, to call forth the militia for law enforcement, suppression of insurrections, and repelling invasions.
According to the resolution, cartels take advantage of vulnerable and unsafe borders to benefit themselves. They act as paramilitary narco-terrorist groups that make money by smuggling people and drugs into the United States.
It acknowledges Governor Greg Abbott’s use of his legal authority under the Texas Constitution to secure the border. The ongoing border security crisis is deemed unacceptable, resulting in a security threat and humanitarian disaster with severe consequences for Texas residents.
Judge Cude asserts that the counties are facing a crisis and have the right to defend themselves under the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, fully supporting Governor Greg Abbott and Operation Lone Star. Currently, a total of 46 counties have declared an invasion, including Atascosa, Burnet, Chambers, Clay, Collin, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Frio, Goliad, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Johnson, Karnes, Kinney, La Salle, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, McMullen, Medina, Montague, Navarro, Orange, Parker, Presidio, Shackelford, Somervell, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tyler, Van Zandt, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Wilson, and Wise.