Texas officials have vowed to maintain strict border security measures after the Supreme Court ruled that border agents could cut razor wire used to deter illegal border crossings, Biden said. The administration has praised the move.
Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Gov. Chris Olivares said the state, under Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, will “maintain our current posture to deter illegal border crossings by utilizing effective border enforcement measures.” ” he said.
Texas officials installed razor wire at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, defying the Biden administration's order to end state takeovers of areas along the Rio Grande. (Matt Finn)
Olivares said this includes reinforced bellows wire and anti-climb fencing along the Rio Grande.
Olivarez's tweet came a day after the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to force Border Patrol to cut or cut the concertina wire that Texas installed along the banks of the Rio Grande to prevent immigrants from entering the country illegally. This paved the way for its removal. The Fifth Circuit has not yet ruled on the merits of the case.
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The Biden administration claimed that nearly 30 miles of power lines installed near Eagle Pass “prevented front-line workers from performing essential federal functions and impeded their ability to respond to emergencies and enforce the law.”
The group dismissed the razors as a “political stunt” that made front-line workers' jobs harder.
On September 27, 2023, Border Patrol agents cut razor wire along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas. Border crossings through Eagle Pass continue to be a burden for law enforcement as unprecedented numbers of immigrants enter the United States each day. (Benjamin Loewy, FOX News Digital)
Olivarez said the logical concern is that “the federal government continues to impede Texas' ability to secure its borders, yet the exploitation of illegal immigrants, including children, by allowing them to illegally cross dangerous rivers. “This must be the reason why we continue to tolerate such dangerous, inhumane methods.” Many people lost their lives. ”
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“Texas is the only state using all strategies and resources to protect our sovereignty, combat criminal activity, and deter illegal immigration.”
Olivarez's tweet received support from Governor Abbott, who reinforced the message.
Earlier Tuesday, Gov. Abbott vowed that Texas “will not back down from our efforts to secure our border in Biden's absence.”
The Republican governor authorized the installation of the power lines, one of a series of aggressive measures the three-term Republican has taken at the border in the name of curbing illegal immigration from Mexico.
The concertina wire stretches for about 30 miles near the border city of Eagle Pass, where the Texas Department of Military Affairs took control of the city-owned park earlier this month and began denying Border Patrol agents access.
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Eagle Park has become one of the busiest points on the U.S. southern border for immigrants entering the country illegally from Mexico. Abbott says Texas will no longer allow Border Patrol agents into Shelby Park, frustrated that migrants are entering the country illegally through Eagle Pass and federal agents are loading them onto buses. expressed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
