The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with the Biden administration in a case over razor wire fencing along the Texas-Mexico border.
The court's decision allows Border Patrol agents to cut the bellows of wire installed by Texas along the border near Eagle Pass while the lawsuit continues.
The roughly 30 miles of power lines were installed as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's broader battle with his administration over immigration enforcement, halting the historic flow of migrants across the border since the beginning of Biden's term. trying to prevent it.
The Texas National Guard installed bellows wire along the Rio Grande. (Fox News)
The Biden administration has said in court documents that the wires prevent Border Patrol agents from accessing migrants crossing the river and that federal immigration law in any case takes precedence over Texas' own efforts to stem the flow of migrants. He claimed that there was.
In a 5-4 vote Monday, the justices granted an emergency appeal by the Biden administration, which had challenged an appellate ruling in favor of the state in the midst of an escalating border conflict with Texas.
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Justice Roberts cast the deciding vote, with Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh dissenting. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed by President Trump, also joined the majority.
None of the justices explained their votes.
FILE – Migrants from Colombia attempt to cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico into the United States on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Texas must move a floating barrier on the Rio Grande that has sparked a backlash from Mexico, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, after a Republican attempt to block migrants from entering the United States. It was a blow to one of Gov. Greg Abbott's aggressive policies. illegally. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The majority of the razor wire is located in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass. It is owned by the city but was recently seized by the state of Texas. Since then, federal Border Patrol agents have been banned from the park, a move the Border Patrol Coalition has publicly supported.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the ruling will “certainly lead to an increase in illegal immigration.”
“Unfortunately, this means that Border Patrol agents will always be busy dealing with abandonment rather than pursuing criminal elements crossing the border illegally,” Judd said in a statement to Fox News. Stated.
“The administration will no doubt say this is a victory for border security, but if you ask the public for input, they will tell you that this is quite the opposite. This administration's policies support what the state of Texas was trying to accomplish in the absence of policy. ”
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The lawsuit is one of several legal challenges the Biden administration has filed in federal court over Texas border enforcement policies, including floating barriers on the Rio Grande, trespassing arrests, and the state's jailing of illegal immigrants. It is. These cases have not yet gone to trial. supreme court.
This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.
Fox News' Bill Melugin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
