In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and was its own nation for nine years before joining the United States. Some say Texas’ future lies in its political independence.
Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), recently made the case for Texas independence in an interview with The Dallas Express, pointing to federal interference in Texas’ efforts to secure the border, the Lone Star State’s economic power, and public support for a referendum.
Having advocated for Texas independence for 20 years, Miller said that the TNM works toward the “political, cultural, and economic independence of Texas.” He claimed that with more than 488,000 members, the movement “is the largest political organization in the state outside of the two major political parties.”
Supporters have different reasons for advocating political separation from the United States, Miller noted, but they all have had “a moment when they see independence as the best option.”
“I think what has informed a lot of people’s perspective is the border situation,” he said. “A lot of people have different ideas about what to do about the border and what to do about immigration, but at the end of the day, they know that the federal government is the worst partner you could possibly have in making that a reality.”
“They see the federal government not just failing at the border but actually facilitating the collapse of the border and doing everything they can to make the border porous,” he claimed.
Moving to the issue of taxation, Miller said, “Texas overpays somewhere between $103 to $160 billion annually into the federal system. That money goes to Washington D.C. and disappears in the bureaucracy or gets redistributed to other states that have failing programs.”
According to the IRS, Texans coughed up nearly $401 billion in taxes in 2022 alone.
“Texans are overpaying huge amounts of money that could go to putting gas in their tanks, food on their table, or doing something like eliminating property tax and reducing the tax burden here,” he claimed.
To achieve independence, Miller advocates for a popular referendum on the subject, similar to the route taken by other political entities such as Ireland, Scotland, and dozens of others in recent years.
A bill to have a referendum on Texas independence was filed in the most recent legislative session, but it was referred to the House Committee on State Affairs and allowed to die without a vote.
One of the Texas independent movement’s staunchest opponents has been Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano), who routinely denounced efforts to put the issue before voters.
When former Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg) filed a bill for an independence referendum in 2021, Leach called it “the most anti-American bill I’ve seen.”
“It’s a disgrace to the Lone Star State,” he tweeted. “The very definition of seditious. A true embarrassment. And you should be ashamed of yourself for filing it.”
When another similar bill was filed in 2023, Leach again said, “This ridiculous bill is the very definition of hypocritical & seditious treason.”
Leach’s characterization of people advocating for the peaceful separation of Texas from the United States led to a defamation lawsuit, which Leach won. However, according to Miller, Leach had to acknowledge that simply advocating for a “TEXIT” was not actually treason or sedition.
“On the political front, I think the biggest achievement is that we’ve shifted the narratives,” Miller said. “When we founded the TNM in 2005, the polling that was available showed that support for this issue was in the single digits.”
“Fast forward to last summer, a poll came out where we were at 60% of voters overall and 66% of likely voters in support,” he continued, referring to a 2022 Survey USA finding.
When asked about the feasibility of Texas independence, Miller pointed to the dozens of small independent nations around the world that have fewer resources and support than Texas.
“Take the statement that Texas could never do it. What we need to do then is look at the explosion of self-governing independent nation-states around the world,” he said. “Those countries did not fall from space. The Earth didn’t get any bigger.”
“They were people like us who wanted to exercise and implement their right of self-government,” Miller continued. “How is it that those people could make it, but we suddenly can’t? What did we do wrong when the Federated States of Micronesia can be independent and Texas can’t?”
“All the facts lend themselves toward Texas not only being okay when we leave but being a global powerhouse. We’re the ninth-largest economy in the world in spite of 180,000 pages of federal laws, rules, and regulations,” he said. “We are a massive economic powerhouse on the global stage.”
Legally, Miller dismissed concerns that the U.S. Constitution forbids political separation, claiming, “For something to be unconstitutional, it would have to be specifically prohibited … and under the Tenth Amendment [the question] is reserved to the states and the people.”
Regardless, the notion of Texas independence will likely continue to drive conversation and debate whenever Texans evaluate their relationship with the federal government.