The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), demanding the removal of a floating barrier his government installed in the Rio Grande.
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In its court filing, the DOJ demanded the Texas government remove the obstruction “at their own expense.” It argued that such a move was illegal, as it was done without federal authorization.
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“We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement. “This floating barrier poses threats to navigation and public safety and presents humanitarian concerns. Additionally, the presence of the floating barrier has prompted diplomatic protests by Mexico and risks damaging U.S. foreign policy.”
The move comes the same day that Abbott stood firm amid White House warnings, telling President Joe Biden in a letter that he “will see you in court.”
“If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws,” the Texas governor wrote.
“By doing so, you can help me stop migrants from wagering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River. You can also help me save Texans, and indeed all Americans, from deadly drugs like fentanyl, cartel violence, and the horrors of human trafficking. To end the risk that migrants will be harmed crossing the border illegally, you must fully enforce the laws of the United States that prohibit illegal immigration between ports of entry.”
In a statement regarding the lawsuit, the White House touted its own work toward border security, criticizing Abbott’s policies toward the situation as “dangerous and unlawful.”
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“President Biden’s border enforcement plan has led to the lowest levels of unlawful border crossings in over two years,” White House assistant press secretary Abdullah Hasan said. “Governor Abbott’s dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining that effective plan, making it hard for the men and women of Border Patrol to do their jobs of securing the border, and putting migrants and border agents in danger.
“If Governor Abbott truly wanted to drive toward real solutions, he’d be asking his Republican colleagues in Congress why they voted against President Biden’s request to increase funding for the Department of Homeland Security and why they’re blocking the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures that would finally fix our broken immigration system,” he added.
