Six Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives have called on the Biden administration to exercise federal authority against Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's statement declaring an "invasion" on the US-Mexico border.

In a memo to the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard urging them to step up their border security efforts, Abbott used the headline "Defend Texas Against Invasion." And on social media he declared that he “invoked the Trespassing Clauses of the US and Texas Constitutions” to justify his border raids.

“Three days after Governor Greg Abbott tweeted a legally dubious invocation of the “trespass clause” of the US and Texas constitutions regarding the large numbers of migrants at the Texas-Mexico border, he stated that the border mission should include armored personnel carriers designed to carry troops into battle along with tanks," according to a planning document obtained by the Army Times and The Texas Tribune.

The order issued Nov. 17 by Texas Military Department officials to the headquarters overseeing “Operation Lone Star” revealed that the National Guard will soon send 10 M113 armored personnel carriers to the border.

Under the order, about 50 soldiers will be trained to operate the vehicles, and state officials will identify 10 positions to park them along the border. “These vehicles are by definition bulletproof and can withstand small explosions. In the civilian world, lighter armored wheeled vehicles are sometimes used to transport police SWAT teams,” according to the post.

According to The Hill “the Mexican government published on Tuesday (15) a statement rejecting Abbott's statement and alerting its consular system for "violation of the rights [of Mexican citizens] by any authority."

"In the United States, the implementation of immigration laws, border control, and the negotiation of international agreements are the exclusive powers of the federal government, so the bilateral dialogue on these issues between our countries only occurs at this level," said the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations, according to The Hill.

On November 17, in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Democrats said the Texas governor's statement violates the Constitution by illegally usurping federal authority.

“As members of Congress representing the great state of Texas, we are deeply disturbed by recent comments made by the Governor of Texas suggesting that he invoked trespassing authorities under the US Constitution to justify the use of state resources to further militarize our southern border. [...] As such, we write to urge the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to intervene in the ongoing efforts of the Governor of Texas to usurp the power of the federal government to administer international relations. and the immigration law”, they added”, the deputies wrote in the letter organized by the deputy Sylvia García.

In their letter, Texas Democrats also downplayed Abbott's language.

“Legal authority aside, there simply isn't an invasion happening on the border. Many immigrants who arrive at our border are exercising their right to request asylum and other forms of humanitarian aid. They are not at war against the United States or Texas,” the legislators wrote.

The representatives of Texas added that the US Constitution "prohibits the states from becoming involved in activities pertaining to international affairs."

“Texas has a long history of anti-Mexican violence, including widespread manhunts by law enforcement authorities such as the Texas Rangers in the 20th century. During Abbott's time as governor, we saw the shooting in El Paso in 2019, the deadliest anti-Hispanic mass shooting in the country's history,” according to The Hill.

Along with Garcia, Texas Democratic Reps. Al Green, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Veronica Escobar, Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett signed on to the letter.