Texas Governor Greg Abbott challenged President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday when the Justice Department sued his state for attempting to block the US-Mexican border with a floating barrier and razor wire along the Rio Grande River.
The government informed the state late last week that the string of huge orange buoys near Eagle Pass, Texas, restrict river navigation illegally and without federal approval.
“This floating barrier endangers navigation and public safety, as well as raising humanitarian concerns”, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta stated.
However, in a letter to Biden on Monday, Abbott stated that he had the authority to protect Texas’s sovereign interests by installing the buoys.
He accused Biden of failing to carry out his own responsibilities to stop the influx of migrants across the southern border with Mexico.
“If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws”, Abbott wrote.
Abbott further said, “By doing so, you can assist me in preventing migrants from risking their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River”.
“Texas will see you in court, Mr. President”, he continued.
This month, a series of buoys was erected in the river at the common migrant crossing point, along with massive razor wire barricades on the shore.
According to reports, some migrants were rescued after becoming entangled in the razor wire.
Republicans are playing political games with immigration according to a Biden administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Republican hardliners have spent years instilling fear of an impending influx of illegal immigration. Donald Trump and his main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have made border crossings the centerpiece of their campaigns.
The White House, on the other hand, claims that the number of unlawful border crossings has decreased as a result of rigorous new asylum rules.
The administration official stated, “Republican officials don’t want solutions. They want chaos”.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in Austin, Texas, only hours after Abbot’s letter was released.
It claimed that the barrier violated the US Rivers and Harbors Act, which creates safeguards for public waterways overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers.
According to the lawsuit, Texas needs approval from the Army Corps of Engineers to construct any construction barrier in the Rio Grande.
The Justice Department requested that the court order Abbott to remove the barricade.
The federal prosecutor in Austin, Jaime Esparza said, “We must all recognize that there are laws and policies in place — both domestic and international — to ensure the safety and security of everyone working, living, and traveling along the river. These laws cannot be ignored”.
Furthermore, according to a leaked US Customs and Border Protection report, the razor wire installed by state authorities interfered with its own border enforcement activities.
Also read: Ukraine’s Military: Russia Launches Airstrike On Kyiv
