Texas Independence Movement
The leader of Texas nationalist group in support of Texas independence stated that the United States is “breaking apart”. Failed efforts to control the illegal immigration crisis prompted him to address Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and announce his group’s intentions to make Texas an independent nation.
Daniel Miller is the president of the pro-independence group known as the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM). In a recent episode of the Texas News podcast, he discussed two surveys by YouGov which indicate the likelihood of residents to support state secession movements like his own.
YouGov asked 35,000 American citizens if they would support their state leaving the union and becoming a fully independent nation. They found that the answers varied by state. 31% of Texans, 29% of Californians, and a surprisingly high 36% of Alaskans said they would be in support of a secession movement. Overall, 23% of citizens polled said they were in support of secession.
He also referenced another YouGov survey from earlier this year in which 58% of Californians polled in favor of secession while maintaining a “friendly relationship with the U.S.”
Miller stated, “The United States is breaking apart. Some people think that Texas is the only state with one foot out the door, but there are actually other states where support for secession is surging and ready to hit the tipping point”. And he is not the only one interested in the possibility of Texas divorcing the United States.
Senator Ted Cruz recently made comments about Texas departing from the union. While he explained he wasn’t “there yet” in terms of supporting secession, he did state that he would be in support if Democratic lawmakers continue to “fundamentally destroy” the country. In the meantime he expressed, “I love this country… I think Texas has a responsibility to the country, and I’m not ready to give up on America”.
Amid the chatter about secession, Daniel Miller addressed Mexico’s president, confronting him on what his inability to control illegal immigration at the Mexico-Texas border.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, there were more than 68,000 encounters between illegal immigrants and law enforcement along the border in January of 2024 alone. Miller accuses the Mexican government of “turning a blind eye” the these encounters which has resulted in a strain on Texas resources and a spike in crime.
He states on behalf of TNM, “The Texas Nationalist Movement believes that the only way to secure our border with the United States of Mexico is to no longer share a border with the United States of Mexico”. With this he announced his group’s support of northern states in Mexico who also wish to become self-governing.
The conversation around legality for a state to split off from the union is a tricky one but with more support rising from groups such as TNM, Miller believes secession may be closer than most of the country realizes.
