WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama will issue an executive order next week stripping Texas of statehood while creating a sovereign nation-state between the U.S. and Mexico, a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Washington Post today. Effective July 1st, the laws governing the United States, including the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and, additionally, the Geneva Conventions, will no longer apply to Texas or its residents.

The order is set to become law just days ahead of what the Obama administration and the Pentagon are calling a “large-scale training exercise.” Dubbed ‘Jade Helm 15,’ the operation involves several states, including Texas, and consists of roughly 1,200 soldiers and seamen from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Navy SEALs, and Air Force special operations forces.

In April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott placed the Texas State Guard on alert and instructed them to “closely monitor” the military exercise over concerns it might be a ploy to confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens through the implementation of martial law. However, the Obama administration has repeatedly refuted these claims, calling them “conspiratory and baseless.”

Eric Masterson, a White House National Security advisor, said, “The purpose of Operation Jade Helm is to help the Texas transitional government facilitate a swift conversion into sovereignty. This isn’t some vast conspiracy; in fact, it’s very similar to what we’ve done in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Masterson said the overall objective is to curb illegal immigration by creating a buffer zone between the U.S. and Mexico, effectively shortening the border between the two countries. “The Texas-Mexico border currently accounts for 66% of the entire U.S.-Mexico border, with Texas serving as a focal point for illegal immigration,” Masterson said.

Beginning July 1st, the Lone Star nation-state will be solely responsible for its survival and prosperity, however the United States will maintain a fleet of U.S. Navy destroyers and nuclear submarines in the Port of Houston. Additionally, the Department of State plans to erect a heavily fortified embassy there, allowing the Port of Houston and all its assets to remain on U.S. soil.

“Of course any Texans who wish to obtain U.S. citizenship are encouraged to do, provided they seek it through legal means,” said Masterson, who added that current immigration policies apply to Texan nationals “the same as they do for everyone else.”