Texas Secession ‘Closer’ Than Anyone Thinks

Texas seceding from the United States is “closer than pretty much anyone else thinks” according to a leading Lone Star independence campaigner who argued a series of triggers, such as the reelection of President Biden or an intensification of the migrant crisis, could see the Lone Star State attempt to leave the Union.

The comments were made by Daniel Miller, president of the pro-independence Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), on an edition of his ‘Texas News’ podcast that was released on Tuesday.

Speaking on his podcast Miller said that Texan independence, dubbed TEXIT by some supporters, is “closer than pretty much anyone else thinks” and argued a single external or internal shock could push this over “the finish line.”

Miller suggested the reelection of Biden, concerns about the validity of the 2024 election result, immigration issues, or a financial crisis could also trigger a Texas independence movement.

He said: “If you were to see major anomalies in the 2024 election again accelerator down to the floor. The fact of the matter is legitimate concerns about the integrity of our electoral system have gone unanswered … . If you see major anomalies in the 2024 election the calls for TEXIT will become overwhelming and I believe the same thing happens if Joe Biden gets reelected as president of the United States.”

Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for president, and his supporters continue to insist the 2020 presidential election was rigged against them by fraud, though these allegations have been rejected repeatedly in the courts and by independent election experts.

On the subject of immigration Miller suggested either a major Supreme Court defeat for Texas, or the threat of force from federal authorities, could trigger irresistible calls for an independence referendum.

He said: “If Texas were to face a crushing defeat in the Supreme Court on its border protection efforts you would see the ranks of TEXIT swell overnight, of the TNM, you would see TEXIT become the majority opinion [in Texas].”

The comments from Miller come as tensions have surged between Texan authorities and the federal government over the past few months over how to address the influx of migration into the state from Mexico, sparking renewed calls for independence by Texan nationalists.

In January, the Supreme Court ruled federal agents could remove razor-wire placed along the Texas-Mexico border on the orders of Republican Governor Greg Abbott sparking a furious response from the GOP leader who said the state was being subjected to an “invasion.”

Abbott then suffered a major legal blow on March 19 when a federal appeals court suspended Texas Senate Bill 4, which he had signed into law after it was approved by the state legislature.

Under its terms Texan state law enforcement and military personnel would be able to detain and deport illegal migrants, a power traditionally reserved for the federal government.

Newsweek has contacted Abbott for comment by email.

Miller also warned that any federal move to use force against Texan authorities, or to federalize the state National Guard as some Democrats called for earlier this year, would turbocharge support in the state for independence.

He said: “If you wanted to see this thing accelerate – like foot on the pedal down on the floor – the federal government using force to stop Texas securing its border would be one of the things you could look for. That would be an external pressure from the federal government that would be a terrible, terrible mistake.”

Miller warns that another issue that could trigger TEXIT could be an economic crisis such as the “bursting of the federal debt bubble,” with the debt currently at around $34 trillion, or “a massive spike in inflation” according to Miller.

Despite Miller’s commentary, it is unlikely that the state would successfully be able to secede from the Union.

A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll, conducted exclusively for Newsweek in February, found 23 percent of Texans would vote for the state to become “an independent country” in a hypothetical independence referendum, versus 67 percent who would prefer to remain “a state within the United States.”

Speaking to Newsweek about that poll Miller said: “Contrary to the opposition narrative that support for TEXIT is nonexistent, this poll shows that support for the issue is strong enough to warrant a public discussion and a vote on the issue.

“Even if one believes the accuracy of this poll, it shows that TEXIT is polling at the same support level as Brexit and Scottish Independence before their referendums were held. It also shows that the opposition to TEXIT is far weaker than they pretend.”

Texas nationalists pushed for a referendum on Texas secession for a years, despite the fact there is no provision for a state to secede in the U.S. Constitution.

The state seceded from Mexico in 1836 and joined the United States in 1845. It also seceded from the Union in 1861 before being readmitted following the end of the Civil War.