Texas Nationalist Movement

The TNM espouses Texas nationalism, aiming to establish Texas as a self-governing, independent nation. Its ideological foundation is outlined in the book Texit: Why and How Texas Will Leave the Union, authored by TNM President Daniel Miller.{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BOG_swEACAAJ |title=Texit: Why and How Texas Will Leave the Union |date=2018 |publisher=Defiance Press & Publishing, LLC |isbn=978-1-948035-08-8 |language=en}}

According to its website, the objective of the Texas Nationalist Movement is "the complete, total and unencumbered political, cultural and economic independence of Texas".{{cite web |url= http://www.texasnationalist.com/index.php/about-us/what-we-believe |title= What we believe |author= |publisher= Texas Nationalist Movement |access-date= January 20, 2013 |archive-date= January 12, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130112204237/http://www.texasnationalist.com/index.php/about-us/what-we-believe |url-status= live }} Unlike its predecessor,{{cn|reason=Was the predecessor organization violent?|date=June 2025}} TNM claims to work peaceably{{cite web |url=http://texnat.org/64-tnm-u/activism/2268-a-guide-to-effective-nonviolent-struggle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090630/http://texnat.org/64-tnm-u/activism/2268-a-guide-to-effective-nonviolent-struggle |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |title=A "Guide to Effective Nonviolent Struggle"}}{{Primary source inline|date=June 2025}} with the current political system, and to reject use of force to achieve its goals.{{Primary source inline|date=June 2025}} TNM is an unincorporated association under the laws of the State of Texas.{{cn|date=June 2025}}{{explain|date=June 2025}} The organization focuses on political support and advocacy, and education surrounding the issue of secession. It seeks to have the Texas Legislature call for a state-wide referendum on the issue, similar to the Scottish Independence vote of 2014.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

The modern Texas independence movement has roots in the Republic of Texas organization, which emerged in the 1990s. In 1996, the movement split into three factions: one led by Richard McLaren, another by David Johnson and Jesse Enloe, and a third by Archie Lowe and Daniel Miller{{Cite web |title=MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base |url=http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=95 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033315/http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=95 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=www.tkb.org}} (which would later become the TNM.)

In 1997, McLaren’s faction made national headlines after kidnapping Joe and Margaret Ann Rowe at the Davis Mountain Resort and demanding the release of a jailed movement member in exchange. After a week-long standoff with law enforcement, McLaren surrendered peacefully, persuaded by his wife Evelyn.{{cite news |date=April 29, 1997 |title=Texas Separatists Call For Help |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/04/29/texas-separatists-call-for-help/ |access-date=2011-07-19 |publisher=Chicago Tribune}}{{cite news |author=George Kuempel |date=4 May 1997 |title=Separatists end standoff peacefully |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News}}McLaren is imprisoned at the William P. Clements unit at Amarillo, Texas. McLaren's projected prison release date is June 15, 2041, when he would be 87 years old. See generally Texas Dep't of Crim. Justice, inmate #00802782, Richard Lance McLaren, at [http://offender.tdcj.state.tx.us/POSdb2/offenderDetail.action?sid=04773741] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203025945/http://offender.tdcj.state.tx.us/POSdb2/offenderDetail.action?sid=04773741|date=2013-12-03}}. McLaren was also convicted of mail fraud and bank fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. See generally footnote 1, McLaren v. United States Incorporated, 2 F. Supp. 2d 48 (D.D.C. 1998), at https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?q=%22Richard+Lance+McLaren%22&hl=en&as_sdt=3,44&case=6167664160081150182&scilh=0. This effectively destroyed the McLaren faction, and the Johnson-Enloe faction was discredited after two of its members, Jack Abbot Grebe Jr. and Johnnie Wise, were convicted in 1998 of threatening to assassinate several government officials, including President Bill Clinton. The two men were each sentenced to 24 years in prison.{{cite web |title=Terrorist Organization Profile: Republic of Texas (RoT) |url=http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=95 |publisher=National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism}}{{cite web |title=We are the R.O.T |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/we-are-the-rot-6402797 |accessdate=2021-05-30 |work=Dallas Observer}}{{cite web |title=FBI arrests Republic of Texas fugitive Richard Keyes |url=https://apnews.com/article/407225bf861f18679092a5362c8ac64e |accessdate=2021-05-30 |work=AP News}}{{Cite web |title=United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee v. Johnie Wise and Jack Abbott Grebe, Jr., Defendants-appellants, 221 F.3d 140 (5th Cir. 2000) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/221/140/526375/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}

In 2003, what remained of the organized movement consolidated into one dominant group recognizing an "interim" government (which replaced the "provisional" government), headed by Daniel Miller. This interim government claimed authority from the original proclamations of 1995 and set up a headquarters in the town of Overton, Texas. The Republic of Texas headquarters in Overton burned down on August 31, 2005; one person was moderately injured.[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3334385.html Headquarters fire] Associated Press, November 1, 2005, Retrieved 2011-07-20.

After the burning of the headquarters in Overton, the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) was formally established in 2005.{{Cite web |date=2016-04-24 |title=Texas Secessionists' Embassy in Paris |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-secessionists-already-have-an-embassy-in-paris/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}

In January 2013, members of the TNM rallied at the state capital in Austin to promote the resolution, resulting in one mention of secession by one lawmaker on the opening day of the legislative session.{{cite news |author=Manny Fernandez |date=January 15, 2013 |title=White House Rejects Petitions to Secede, but Texans Fight On |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/us/politics/texas-secession-movement-unbowed-by-white-house-rejection.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119125702/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/us/politics/texas-secession-movement-unbowed-by-white-house-rejection.html?_r=0 |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |access-date=January 22, 2013 |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York}} In May 2016, the Texas GOP narrowly rejected bringing a resolution for secession to a floor vote at the 2016 Texas Republican Convention.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/19/the-texas-secession-movement-is-getting-kind-of-serious/|title=Texas Republicans have opted not to secede from the United States, after all|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 18, 2017|archive-date=April 19, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160419224655/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/19/the-texas-secession-movement-is-getting-kind-of-serious/|url-status=live}}

In 2015, a representative from the Texas Nationalist Movement attended a separatist conference in Russia. Public record show that the conference was almost entirely paid for by the Kremlin's "National Charitable Foundation".{{cite web |title=Texas, California Separatists Attend Kremlin-Funded Conference |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/texas-california-separatists-attend-pro-kremlin-conference/story?id=42395066 |website=ABCNews.com}}

During Russia's 2016 interference operations in the U.S., a fake Russian Facebook page, dubbed "Heart of Texas," claimed it was passing information about supporters along to the Texas Nationalist Movement.{{Cite web|title=Inside the Russian effort to fuel American secessionists|date=February 26, 2018 |url=https://archive.thinkprogress.org/russia-texas-california-separatism-9809aca9f61d/|access-date=2021-12-22|language=en-US|archive-date=December 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222225453/https://archive.thinkprogress.org/russia-texas-california-separatism-9809aca9f61d/|url-status=live}}

In 2020, the Republican Party of Texas included a plank in its party platform (with 93% approval) stating that the federal government has impaired Texas' right to self-government, that any legislation infringing upon the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution "should be ignored, opposed, refused, and nullified", and that Texas retains the right to secede if any future Congress or President change the current political system from a constitutional republic to something else.{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2020 |title=Vindicated: Texas GOP Passes TNM's Secession Plank with 93% Support |url=https://tnm.me/news/tnm-news/vindicated-texas-gop-passes-tnms-secession-plank-with-93-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105023017/https://tnm.me/news/tnm-news/vindicated-texas-gop-passes-tnms-secession-plank-with-93-support |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |access-date=November 5, 2020}}

In 2021, then State Representative Kyle Biedermann filed the Texas Independence Referendum Act (TIRA), which sought to give Texans the opportunity to vote on whether the state should begin the process of reasserting its independence. The bill was heavily backed by the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) and its president, Daniel Miller.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-09 |title=Texas state rep. proposes bill to allow vote on secession from US |url=https://abc13.com/texit-texas-independence-referendum-act-nationalist-movement/8640857/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=ABC13 Houston |language=en}} As of 2024, the TNM lists Kyle Biedermann as its Legislative Advisor to the TNM’s Advisory Board.{{Cite web |title=Kyle Biedermann - Speakers |url=https://speakers.tnm.me/speakers/kyle-biedermann/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |language=en-US}}

In June 2022, it voted to include a further secessionist plank in its party platform, calling for the Texas Legislature to approve a referendum on whether Texas should secede from the Union on the 2023 statewide ballot.{{Cite news |last=Chappell |first=Bill |date=2022-06-20 |title=Texas GOP's new platform says Biden didn't really win. It also calls for secession |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1106229988/texas-gops-new-platform-says-biden-didnt-really-win-it-also-calls-for-secession |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621051216/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1106229988/texas-gops-new-platform-says-biden-didnt-really-win-it-also-calls-for-secession |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=2022-06-20 |work=NPR |language=en}}

Another version of the Texas Independence Referendum Act was introduced by state representative Bryan Slaton on March 6, 2023.{{Cite magazine |last=Ramirez |first=Nikki McCann |date=2023-03-06 |title=Texas Republican Introduces Bill Calling for Vote on Secession |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/texas-republican-bill-secession-referendum-1234691622/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Schnell |first=Mychael |date=2023-03-06 |title=Texas lawmaker files 'TEXIT' bill to spur vote on exploring secession from US |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3886527-texas-lawmaker-files-texit-bill-to-spur-vote-on-exploring-secession-from-us/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}

In 2024, the TNM declared its support for secessionist groups in Northern Mexico.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-09 |title=TNM President Announces Support For Northern Mexico Secession Efforts Over Border Crisis |url=https://news.tnm.me/presidents-desk/statements/tnm-president-announces-support-for-northern-mexico-secession-efforts-over-border-crisis/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=TNM News |language=en-US}} In 2024, Miller submitted over 140,000 signatures from petitions signed in support of secession. Miller said of the rising support for secession:

If you look at where support is for this issue right now, in this lifecycle of an independence movement, we're outperforming Brexit, we're outperforming Scottish independence and we're outperforming Catalan — and we're outperforming everyone at every stage of the process.{{Cite web |last=Karlis |first=Michael |date=Feb 13, 2024 |title=Texas Nationalist Movement demands Gov. Greg Abbott hold special session to discuss 'TEXIT' |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-nationalist-movement-demands-gov-greg-abbott-hold-special-session-to-discuss-texit-33804895 |access-date=October 31, 2024 |website=www.sacurrent.com}}{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Brian |date=2024-10-13 |title=Secession is back in style in Texas |url=https://reason.com/2024/10/13/texit-stage-right/?utm_medium=reason_email&utm_source=new_at_reason&utm_campaign=reason_brand&utm_content=Police%20Want%20the%20Password%20to%20Your%20Phone&utm_term=&time=October%2014th,%202024&mpid=38717&mpweb=2534-4689-38717 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}

In 2024, it made a PAC called the Texas Nationalist Movement-Political Action Committee.

In November 2024, the Texas Nationalist Movement announced that 10 candidates who support its secessionist goals were elected to the Texas Legislature. TNM president Daniel Miller described the outcome as a "clear signal that Texans are ready to reclaim their right to self-government." The organization reported that 65 current Texas officeholders had signed the "Texas First Pledge," a commitment to principles such as upholding Texans’ right to alter their government, supporting independence legislation, and honoring the outcome of any referendum on Texan secession.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-08 |title=Candidates who support Texas secession elected to state Legislature |url=https://san.com/cc/candidates-who-support-texas-secession-elected-to-state-legislature/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Straight Arrow News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-04 |title=The TEXAS FIRST Pledge |url=https://taketexasback.com/pledge/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |language=en-US}}

On February 4, 2025, the TNM launched its first official county branch in Angelina County. The event, held in Lufkin, marked what the group described as a "major milestone" in grassroots organizing. TNM leader Daniel Miller stated the group is now active or organizing in over 60 of Texas's 254 counties, which together represent approximately 78% of Texas voters.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-05 |title=Texas independence movement takes "foundational step" |url=https://www.newsweek.com/texas-independence-movement-takes-foundational-step-2026431 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}

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Category:Texas secession movements

Category:Politics of Texas

Category:Separatism in the United States

Category:Texas

Category:Secessionist organizations in the United States