Justice Department Threatens to Sue Texas

Clear Facts:

• The Biden administration is threatening to sue Texas over barriers installed in the Rio Grande River aimed at deterring illegal crossings.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott defends the state’s authority to protect its border, blaming Biden’s immigration policies for the current border crisis.
• The barrier initiative is part of Texas’ “Operation Lone Star,” and is supported by Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who accused the Biden administration of failing to secure the border.

The Biden administration and the state of Texas are clashing over border control methods put into effect by Texas law enforcement.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is pressuring Texas to remove barriers installed in the Rio Grande River to deter illegal crossings, with a threat of litigation citing “humanitarian concerns.”

According to the DOJ, “The floating barrier poses a risk to navigation, as well as public safety, in the Rio Grande River, and it presents humanitarian concerns,” deeming Texas’ actions as “unlawful.”

But Governor Greg Abbott firmly stands by the state’s authority to protect its border.

Abbott tweeted, “Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution. We have sent the Biden Administration numerous letters detailing our authority, including the one I hand-delivered to President Biden earlier this year.”

The Governor attributed the border crisis to the current administration’s policies, stating, “The tragic humanitarian crisis on the border was created because of Biden’s refusal to secure the border. His open border policies encourage migrants to risk their lives crossing illegally through the Rio Grande, instead of safely and legally over a bridge.”

The barriers in question are 4-foot-wide, orange, spherical buoys that spin when grabbed, designed to deter individuals from attempting to cross the river illegally.

This measure is part of “Operation Lone Star,” a Texas initiative to combat what they see as a crisis brought on by President Biden’s immigration policies.

Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, backed the use of the barriers, pointing out that “we wouldn’t be having this conversation if President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security were doing its job.”

Cornyn attributed the measures to the administration’s failure to secure the border.

This border control strategy has also attracted a lawsuit from a canoe and kayak rental business owner, who argues the barriers will cause him “imminent and irreparable harm.”

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