In a controversial ruling, a federal judge has ordered the removal of a floating barrier installed by Texas along the Texas-Mexico border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, is not taking this decision lying down and is appealing the ruling, with hopes of keeping the buoys that run along the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass in place.
The barriers were erected by Texas in July as part of efforts to secure the border. U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra’s order demands their removal by September 15.
The state of Texas is appealing the ruling to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, with Governor Abbott stating that the decision prolongs President Biden’s “willful refusal to acknowledge that Texas is rightfully stepping up to do the job that he should have been doing all along.”
Abbott further emphasized that Texas is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, indicating a staunch commitment to border security.
It's outrageous that Biden's border priority is suing Texas on behalf of illegal aliens.
This border crisis is by design. https://t.co/g46ASchJmc
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) September 6, 2023
This move by Governor Abbott comes as Texas and other border states continue to grapple with a significant increase in migrants crossing into the United States. The surge follows the Biden administration’s decision to end the Title 42 asylum policy, a move instituted under former President Donald Trump.
Interestingly, this order to remove a border barrier follows a similar situation in Arizona. The new Arizona Governor, Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, ordered the dismantling of a barrier constructed out of shipping containers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The previous Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, a Republican, had created the barrier during his term, using 2,000 shipping containers. The barrier was intended to be temporary until a more permanent structure could be established.
However, the effort faced criticism from the Biden administration, leading to a legal battle over jurisdiction in policing the southern border. Ultimately, the wall’s construction halted in December the previous year, and the barrier began to be dismantled when Hobbs took office in January.
Governor Hobbs has consistently referred to the shipping container barrier as an expensive political stunt that failed to address the real issues at the border. As a result, the state government is now selling off the containers, marking the end of this chapter in Arizona’s border security efforts.
