On Thursday, July 20 the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue the state of Texas over a floating barrier in the Rio Grande River. This barrier was placed to help prevent illegal immigrants into the country, but it is said to obstruct navigation in the river and increase the risk of drowning.
The barrier, placed on July 12, is part of a plan by Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, to intensify security along the Mexican-U.S. Border. However, the U.S. Department of Justice is not pleased with the treatment of the migrants and their rights.
“We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization,” stated Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. (BBC News, 2023) In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has to approve a floating barrier.
This is the first time the Department of Justice has directly interfered with Governor Abbott’s effort to enforce immigration laws, known as Operation Lone Star.
In response, Governor Abbott tweeted that Texas “has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution.” (LA Times, 2023)
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, replied to Abbott on Twitter, saying that the U.S. Constitution “does not give states the authority to carry out immigration enforcement at the border.” (LA Times, 2023)
The buoys were considered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2020, but were rejected “because of the increased risk of drowning they posed, as well as the dangers they would cause rescuers trying to navigate around them.” (LA Times, 2023)
This is only the start of the issue for immigration. On July 3rd, Border Patrol officers were ordered to push children seeking asylum back into the river. Furthermore, these officers failed to provide water to asylum-seekers in the Texas heat.
This is also not the first time someone has challenged the floating barrier in the Rio Grande. A local kayak tour company has also filed a lawsuit against the barrier. He “argued that the buoys damage his business and destroy local flora and fauna.” (BBC News, 2023)
However, Governor Abbott is keeping to his plan, Operation Lone Star. “We will continue to deploy every strategy to protect Texans and Americans — and the migrants risking their lives. We will see you in court, Mr. President,” Greg Abbott responded. (LA Times, 2023)
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2023-07-21/immigration-border-asylum-doj-rio-grande-barrier-abbott
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66296989
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/24/us/texas-migrants-border-rio-grande-justice-department.html
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/border-trooper-migrants-wire-18205076.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
The barrier, placed on July 12, is part of a plan by Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, to intensify security along the Mexican-U.S. Border. However, the U.S. Department of Justice is not pleased with the treatment of the migrants and their rights.
“We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization,” stated Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. (BBC News, 2023) In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has to approve a floating barrier.
This is the first time the Department of Justice has directly interfered with Governor Abbott’s effort to enforce immigration laws, known as Operation Lone Star.
In response, Governor Abbott tweeted that Texas “has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution.” (LA Times, 2023)
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, replied to Abbott on Twitter, saying that the U.S. Constitution “does not give states the authority to carry out immigration enforcement at the border.” (LA Times, 2023)
The buoys were considered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2020, but were rejected “because of the increased risk of drowning they posed, as well as the dangers they would cause rescuers trying to navigate around them.” (LA Times, 2023)
This is only the start of the issue for immigration. On July 3rd, Border Patrol officers were ordered to push children seeking asylum back into the river. Furthermore, these officers failed to provide water to asylum-seekers in the Texas heat.
This is also not the first time someone has challenged the floating barrier in the Rio Grande. A local kayak tour company has also filed a lawsuit against the barrier. He “argued that the buoys damage his business and destroy local flora and fauna.” (BBC News, 2023)
However, Governor Abbott is keeping to his plan, Operation Lone Star. “We will continue to deploy every strategy to protect Texans and Americans — and the migrants risking their lives. We will see you in court, Mr. President,” Greg Abbott responded. (LA Times, 2023)
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2023-07-21/immigration-border-asylum-doj-rio-grande-barrier-abbott
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66296989
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/24/us/texas-migrants-border-rio-grande-justice-department.html
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/border-trooper-migrants-wire-18205076.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
