In a recent development, the state of Texas has initiated a lawsuit against the Biden administration.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in a federal court in Del Rio, Texas, is aimed at preventing federal agents from dismantling the state's razor wire barriers, which have reportedly caused injuries to migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico via the Rio Grande.
The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has accused the Biden administration of undermining the state's efforts to secure its borders. "Texas has the sovereign right to construct border barriers to prevent the entry of illegal aliens," Paxton stated in a press release on Tuesday.
The state began deploying miles of concertina wire in May, ahead of the termination of Title 42, an emergency health authority that was used to repel migrants during the pandemic. The wire was strategically placed in areas of heavy migrant traffic along the Rio Grande, including near Brownsville and Eagle Pass.
However, the use of the razor wire has sparked controversy. Advocates for migrants and the environment have voiced concerns about the wire's harmful effects. These concerns were echoed internally by those responsible for enforcing its use. A state trooper and medic described the border tactics as "inhumane" in July, citing instances of migrants suffering lacerations and injuries.
The razor wire barriers, positioned a few yards from the river or sometimes at its edge, have reportedly forced migrants to remain in the water for extended periods while waiting for U.S. Border Patrol to process them under immigration law. In some instances, federal agents have cut through the wire to reach entangled migrants or to access the other side.
The lawsuit alleges that the frequency of wire-cutting incidents increased in late September when thousands of migrants entered the Eagle Pass area by wading through the river. "By cutting Texas's concertina wire, the federal government has not only illegally destroyed property owned by the State of Texas; it has also disrupted the States border security efforts, leaving gaps in Texass border barriers and damaging Texass ability to effectively deter illegal entry into its territory," the complaint stated.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to comment on the matter. The razor wire forms part of a broader two-year initiative by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott to deter migrants from crossing the state's 1,200-mile border with Mexico.
Login