The Biden administration has asked Texas to take down the barricades that law enforcement had erected on the Rio Grande River to prevent unauthorized crossings.
If Texas does not take down the barricades, which were originally put in place earlier this month, the Department of Justice has threatened to sue on the grounds of “humanitarian concerns.”
The DOJ stated that Texas’ installation of the barriers was “illegal,” alleging that “they posed a risk to navigation in addition to public safety in the Rio Grande River.” They also raised humanitarian concerns.
Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, stated through Twitter that the state would not be lifting its barriers and that the DOJ will be seen in court.
“According to both the Texas Constitution as well as the U.S. Constitution, Texas has the right to protect its border. The letter that I personally handed to President Biden earlier this year is only one of several letters that we have given the Biden Administration outlining our authority.”
“Biden’s failure to control the border led to the horrible humanitarian disaster on the border. Instead of crossing securely and lawfully across a bridge, his open border policies have encouraged migrants to endanger their lives by doing so through the Rio Grande,” the man said. “Texas is taking action to deal with this situation. We will keep using every tactic available to safeguard Texans, Americans, and the migrants who are risking their lives.”
The Rio Grande buoy barriers have been installed to prevent illegal immigrants from trying to enter the country close to Eagle Pass.
According to the New York Post, the orange spherical buoys that are 4-foot-wide spin as soon as someone tries to grip them. If necessary, the barrier can be shifted or expanded.
The initiative is a component of the state’s “Operation Lone Star,” which seeks to stop the devastation caused by President Biden’s immigration policies on the state.
At a press conference this week, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn justified the use of the buoys by claiming Biden had failed to protect the border.
He added, “Well, if President Biden along with the Department of Homeland Security were doing their jobs, we would not be having this conversation. Some of the border techniques are desperate measures because, very honestly, the Biden administration isn’t doing its job. … I’m happy Governor Abbott is prepared to enact the steps he believes are required.”
After law officers started erecting the barriers, an owner of a kayak and canoe rental business filed a complaint, saying that they were going to cause him “imminent as well as irreparable harm.”
