- Supreme Court allows razor wire
- Texas-Mexico border dispute continues
- Operation Lone Star challenges immigration
Border Patrol agents may resume cutting a razor wire fence that Texas installed along its border with Mexico to deter migrants and asylum seekers from entering the country, according to a ruling by the United States Supreme Court.
On Monday, the administration of US President Joe Biden secured a 5-4 victory with the judgment. The ruling followed a lengthy legal battle after a federal appeals court ordered officials to stop fence construction last month.
Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, has attempted to prevent migrants and asylum seekers from entering the United States for over two years by erecting razor wire along the Rio Grande riverbanks spanning more than 46 kilometres (30 miles) along the state’s border with Mexico, resulting in injuries and bloodshed.
Throughout history, the federal government has had the authority to regulate borders. The Department of Justice claims the fence has caused chaos, making border patrols difficult.
“Political stunts by Texas, such as the installation of razor wire near the border, make it more difficult and perilous for front-line employees to perform their duties,” said Angelo Fernandez Hernandez, a spokesman for the White House.
Abbott’s spokesperson, Andrew Mahaleris, stated that the lack of barbed wire and other deterrents encourages individuals to risk difficult border crossings and complicates the work of Texas border patrol. He said, “Governor Abbott will continue to fight to defend Texas’s property and its constitutional authority to secure the border as long as this case continues.”
Court Battle
On private property, the Texas National Guard built the Rio Grande fortification in dispute.
In October, Texas filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, contending that US Customs and Border Protection agents lacked the authority to remove fencing the state claimed had been erected with landowner consent.
US District Judge Alia Moses criticised the administration in November for failing to stem migration but stated that the federal government was shielded from civil and criminal prosecution by “sovereign immunity.”
Later, a federal court of appeals ruled in favour of Texas, granting its request to prevent federal agents from “damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with” the razor-wire fencing during the pendency of the case.
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This year, attorneys for the Biden administration petitioned for the wire to be removed. They contend that there is no evidence it had prevented migrants from entering the United States. They added that the new barriers prevented border agents from monitoring and responding to emergencies.
Mexican authorities have condemned the fence because it contravenes international law.
The total length of the Texas-Mexico frontier is 1,930 kilometres (1,200 miles).
Operation Lone Star
The fence has been constructed as part of a larger state initiative to seize control of Texas’s frontiers. The public heavily backed the 2021 operation, Operation Lone Star. It expands the legal parameters surrounding the authority of a government to regulate immigration.
The endeavour involves installing a Rio Grande floating barrier and has cost over $4.5 billion. Texas Democratic representatives in the US Congress, Sylvia Garcia and Joaquin Castro condemned the “barbaric” series of buoys connected with “chainsaw devices” to prevent crossings last year.
Critics have criticized the “inhumane” measures implemented during the Texas operation. It has emerged as an issue in immigration policy amidst the ongoing influx of individuals traversing the US-Mexico border. Abbott has justified his actions with the fentanyl crisis and an increase in drug importation.
In addition to Republican criticism of the Biden administration regarding the increase in membership, internal Democratic Party pressure also exists. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has blasted the president for failing to curb irregular immigration. At the same time, his city struggles to provide housing and other services for the newcomers.
Abbot has endorsed former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in the upcoming November presidential election. In his endeavour to reclaim office, Trump has strategically emphasised immigration.
