Two border town judges, once life-long Democrats, are now running for reelection as Republicans. Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara and Terrell County Judge Dale Lynn Carruthers switched parties after declaring an invasion on July 5, citing an imminent threat to the lives of their residents.
The single reason they switched parties, they say, is because the Biden administration’s policies have led to more than two million people coming through the southern border from over 150 countries. They are fighting against the Biden administration’s open-border policies that they argue are wreaking havoc in their small communities.
The judges have had enough of the crime stemming from an open border, with increased trafficking and smuggling of people, weapons, and guns. Plus, their citizens are dealing with record-high inflation and the onset of a recession brought about by the reckless spending of the Democrat-controlled federal government.
At a recent campaign event in Fort Stockton, Texas, Judge Dale Lynn Carruthers said, “I come from a Hispanic heritage, which was prominently Democrat. The chaos at the border and everything that’s been going on makes me realize that I needed to switch parties. I am very happy to be a Republican and to represent this great state of Texas as a judge.”
Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who attended the event, praised Carruthers’ decision and her efforts to uphold U.S. sovereignty against the will of her former party leaders.
“Judge Dale Carruthers switched parties due to Biden’s failed open border policies,” Abbott said. “She’s now running for re-election as a Republican, joining a growing number of Hispanics who have walked away from the Democratic Party,” he continued. “Together, we’ll secure the future of Texas.”
“I’ve been a Democrat since 1992,” Judge Cinderela Guevara said. “I’ve always ran as a Democrat and this is my first year to run as a Republican. I’m very grateful for Gov. Abbott for all he has done for Texas and continues to do for Texas, especially with our border crisis.”
Governor Abbott tweeted about Guevara, “She was a life-long Democrat.… She’s now running as a Republican because she supports our mission to secure the border & the future of the Lone Star State.”
As reported earlier this month, Governor Abbott issued an executive order that helps law enforcement return illegals to the border. This is in direct defiance of President Biden’s welcome mat plan for what the White House prefers to call “irregular” migration, but short of a declaration of an invasion.
Joining Abbott, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won’t be issuing a legal opinion declaring an invasion at the southern border, First Attorney General Brent Webster said. The AG’s remarks came after several more Texas counties declared an invasion this month. Many conservatives have called on Paxton for more than a year to issue an invasion opinion.
“AG Paxton has publicly acknowledged that if you look at the definition of invasion, this is an invasion. But what it’s not is it’s not a foreign uniformed entity invading our country,” Webster said during a panel discussion at an America First Policy Institute summit in Washington, D.C.
Critics argue that Paxton hasn’t issued a legal opinion on Texas’ sovereignty, provided a definition of “invasion,” or commented on key constitutional clauses that define a state’s right to act, including Article I, Section 10, Clause 3; Article IV, Section 4; and the 10th Amendment. The only elected official to issue such an opinion is Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
When Judge Carruthers declared an invasion, she stated that her county, with a small population of roughly 1,000 people, has been inundated with foreign nationals illegally entering through Mexico.
“We have experienced an invasion that is something of every language,” said Carruthers. “We are trying to protect the sovereignty of Texas. I am a constitutional judge and we are standing behind the constitution.”
Even with the Biden administration’s weak attempt at addressing the border crisis, it is apparent that they cannot keep Democratic candidates from leaving the party. How many more Democratic candidates and elected officials such as Carruthers and Guevara will be seeking refuge with the Republicans? Is this the beginning of the swell that brings a “red wave” crashing onto November’s election?
