Shortly after a federal judge ordered Texas to remove its floating buoy barrier along a section of the Rio Grande River on Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott announced his intentions to appeal the ruling.
โTodayโs court decision merely prolongs President Bidenโs willful refusal to acknowledge that Texas is rightfully stepping up to do the job that he should have been doing all along,โ Abbott said in a statement, calling the ruling โincorrect.โ
Federal district judge David Ezra decided to issue a preliminary injunction in favor of the U.S. Justice Department in its lawsuit against the Texas governor, less than two months after the suit was filed. In the order, Ezra wrote Abbott โwas not โasking for permissionโ for Operation Lone Star,โ the border-security program that allowed construction of the buoy barrier.
โUnfortunately for Texas, permission is exactly what federal law requires before installing obstructions in the nationโs navigable waters,โ the judge wrote.
The barrier in question is a 1,000-foot-long line of orange buoys, which are tied together with metal cables and anchored to the bottom of the river with concrete blocks, according to the legal document. Located near Eagle Pass, Texas, the structure also has a two-foot underwater net that deters illegal immigrants from easily diving below the surface.
In response to the order, Abbott promised he will โtake this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Courtโ on the behalf of Texas. He added the state will continue to do what it can to โsecure the borderโ considering President Joe Biden wonโt.
โWe will continue to utilize every strategy to secure the border, including deploying Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers and installing strategic barriers,โ said Abbott. โOur battle to defend Texasโ sovereign authority to protect lives from the chaos caused by President Bidenโs open border policies has only begun.โ
On July 24, the Justice Department sued Abbott for refusing to remove the buoys, asserting Texas didnโt seek the required federal authorization for the immigration measure. By obstructing navigation on the Rio Grande, the man-made barrier poses a risk to the โpublic safetyโ of migrants wishing to enter the U.S. and the โenvironment,โ per the federal filing.
The barrier was installed over the summer to divert migrants to official ports of entry. Despite that argument, many immigration advocates have condemned the border structure.
In the order, Ezra wrote the Justice Departmentโs lawsuit โwill likely succeedโ on the basis that the barriers were constructed on navigable waters. Such an action requires a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Texas has until September 15 to remove the floating barrier, or else, face more legal action.







Comments