Texas National Guard Flies 'Come and Take It' Flag as Border Tensions Grow

The Texas Military Department has sparked controversy after posting a photograph on social media of the "Come And Take It" flag as tensions at the U.S.-Mexico border grow.

In the Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter, the flag, featuring a cannon on a white background along with the slogan, is seen on a flagpole alongside the Texas state flag in a photo that was posted without further comment.

Both the Texas National Guard and the smaller Texas State Guard come under the direction of the Texas Military Department. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott is currently locked in a bitter dispute with the federal government over measures he introduced to combat illegal migration across the Texan-Mexican border.

Newsweek reached out to the Texas Military Department at 6:40 a.m. ET. This article will be updated if they want to comment.

The "Come And Take It" flag was used by Texan secessionists at the 1835 Battle of Gonzales in reference to a cannon that Mexican troops were attempting to seize.

Replying to the photo, one X account said: "Maybe you should consider being good Americans and flying your country's flag."

Jamie Hayes, an X user from Oklahoma, wrote: "Disappointing. This doesn't align with our Oaths."

A third X user said: "Would gladly fight for the federal government against you and I was born a few miles from this picture."

A fourth added: "You're nothing without the USA."

However, not all X users were so critical, with Gail Alfar, who has more than 93,000 followers on the platform, posting: "Texas has the right to defend its borders."

Rey Leija, an X user from Texas, said: "Texas is the tip of the spear in the defense of the United States in this wave of illegal immigration. History will show that the State of Texas was on the right side of History when it's all said and done."

On January 22, the Supreme Court ruled federal agents could remove razor wire placed across Texas's southern border on the orders of the state's Republican Governor Greg Abbott in a bid to stop irregular migration from Mexico.

Abbott responded furiously releasing an open letter invoking "Texas's constitutional authority to defend and protect itself," which he insisted "is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary."

A joint statement from 25 Republican governors was released backing Abbott's policy and insisting "Texas has a constitutional right to defend itself and the nation."

Texas Democrat Rep. Greg Casar urged President Joe Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard, removing it from Abbott's control, if the governor attempts to defy the Supreme Court ruling.

He commented: "Greg Abbott has continued to use political stunts and inflammatory language to advance his own agenda, violating the Constitution and endangering both U.S. citizens and asylum seekers.

"Abbott is following the Donald Trump playbook: make immigration harder and more dangerous, so asylum seekers are pushed into the hands of cartels and the system remains broken."

Speaking to Newsweek, Daniel Miller, president of the pro-independence Texas Nationalist Movement, said he believed the border standoff had boosted support for Texas leaving the U.S., which he brands TEXIT.

Referring to a hypothetical independence referendum, he said: "The current border issue has done two things. First, it has turned a significant number of undecided voters into 'yes' voters. It seems to have also had the effect of activating a significant number of independent voters and is pushing them to support a vote on TEXIT."

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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