The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked Texas to remove floating barriers along the Rio Grande set up to stop illegal migrant crossings. Citing “humanitarian concerns,” the DOJ is demanding that the barricades, put in place by law enforcement earlier this month, be taken down, threatening to sue if they remain—but Texas is refusing to comply.
“The floating barrier poses a risk to navigation, as well as public safety, in the Rio Grande River, and it presents humanitarian concerns,” said the DOJ in a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The order comes amid increased scrutiny of Texas’ attempts to stop the flow of migrants across its shared border with Mexico.
Dubbed “Operation Lone Star,” Abbott’s border security initiatives deployed National Guard troops to the border, constructed additional barbed-wire fences, and, most recently, placed the floating barricades along the Rio Grande. The barriers, consisting of a chain of four-foot spherical buoys anchored to the riverbed, are designed to spin when climbed, preventing crossers from getting over. As Valuetainment previously reported, these buoys represent one in a series of new border control innovations put into effect in Texas in recent months.
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Abbott sees this latest effort as a necessary reaction to President Joe Biden’s failure to control the nation’s border. The DOJ sees it as an unlawful escalation that endangers lives, but Abbott is determined to continue despite the federal government’s objection.
“President Biden’s Dept. of Justice threatened to sue Texas over the marine barriers we deployed on the Rio Grande. Mr. President, Texas will see you in court,” Abbott tweeted. “Texas will fully utilize our sovereign authority to deal with the humanitarian crisis Biden created at our border.”
President Biden's Dept. of Justice threatened to sue Texas over the marine barriers we deployed on the Rio Grande.
Mr. President, Texas will see you in court.
Texas will fully utilize our sovereign authority to deal with the humanitarian crisis Biden created at our border. pic.twitter.com/hlnHahwDi8
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 24, 2023
The Biden administration’s order set a deadline of 2pm on Monday for the removal of the barricade, meaning that at the time of this writing, lawsuit proceedings may already be in effect.
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