Border Patrol officials were granted permission by the Supreme Court on Monday, January 22, to continue removing razor wire along a section of the border between the United States and Mexico that Texas put up. This move is the focus of an intensifying confrontation between the state and the Biden administration about immigration enforcement.
Concertina Wire Along Rio Grande Banks
As a result of the 5-4 judgment, Border Patrol officers are now free to remove the concertina wire that Texas had installed along the Rio Grande banks to prevent illegal immigration, as reported by The Associated Press.
A number of migrants have suffered injuries at their contact with the razor-sharp wire, and the US Department of Justice has claimed that the barrier makes it more difficult for Border Patrol agents to assist those in need.
The three-term Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has taken several tough actions along the border to reduce the number of people illegally entering from Mexico, and the installation of the wire was one of them. The lack of razor wire and other barriers, according to his spokesperson, makes the work of Border Patrol agents in Texas more difficult and only encourages migrants to try crossing the border in an unsafe way.
Abbott's spokesperson, Andrew Mahaleris, said that the governor would "continue fighting to defend Texas' property and its constitutional authority to secure the border" as the lawsuit goes on.
After a federal appeals court ordered federal officials to cease cutting the concertina wire last month, the decision was handed down, and the White House applauded it. "Texas' political stunts, like placing razor wire near the border, simply make it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs," said White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández.
The concertina wire extends for about 30 miles (48 kilometers) close to Eagle Pass, a border town where the Texas Military Department took over a park owned by the city and started barring Border Patrol officers from entering earlier this month.
Contentious Border in Texas
In recent years, Eagle Park has grown into a major crossing point for Mexican nationals trying to enter the US illegally.
Abbott has voiced his displeasure with what he claims are illegal immigrants coming via Eagle Pass and federal authorities putting them into busses. As a result, Texas has decided to stop allowing Border Patrol personnel into Shelby Park.
Furthermore, Abbott gave the go-ahead for the installation of floating barriers in the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, and he allegedly ordered the arrest and jail of thousands of migrants on trespassing charges by state troopers. Those moves are also being challenged in federal court by the administration.
