Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to install razor wire around border cities receiving an influx of migrants, despite this week's Supreme Court ruling allowing federal agents into the area.
“Razor wire in Texas is an effective deterrent to illegal border crossings facilitated by Biden's open borders policy,” Abbott defiantly wrote on Wednesday.
“We will continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration.”
Texas authorities closed off Shelby Park in Eagle Pass earlier this month, stationing Texas National Guard troops on the scene and preventing anyone, including Border Patrol agents, from entering without prior approval.
Mr. Abbott claimed the lot was being used as a gathering point for migrants crossing the nearby Rio Grande River to enter the United States.
He said he would stop people from trespassing into Eagle Pass, Texas, by denying them access to the area.
The Department of Homeland Security is fighting to regain access to the area, saying it cannot reach migrants in need of emergency medical treatment.
The Supreme Court ruled this week in a 5-4 decision that federal Border Patrol agents can break through the bellows of wire to gain access to the scene if necessary.
But Mr Abbott has redoubled his efforts since the ruling, including installing additional razor wire in the area.
Late Tuesday, NewsNation correspondent Jorge Ventura broke the Mail video showing Texas National Guard troops installing new coils of barbed wire on the disputed land.
Ventura also said he has not seen any attempts by the Border Patrol to breach the fence.
He posted footage on X of several migrants who were unable to cross the Rio Grande into Texas. Because of the barrier.
Mr. Abbott has been at odds with the Biden administration for months over what he sees as lax enforcement of immigration laws.
Mr. Abbott argued that federal inaction has allowed a surge in illegal immigration to overwhelm the Lone Star State's border towns.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department threatened to sue Texas if it allows state authorities to arrest and prosecute illegal immigrants under a law set to take effect in March.
The Department of Justice has also filed a lawsuit against the state over the construction of a floating barrier on the Rio Grande. The Court of Appeals recently Barrier can stay in the riverserves as the border between the United States and Mexico.
Mr. Abbott has argued that border states like Texas and California, as well as other states, should accept illegal immigrants, busing nearly 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago. But his efforts are just a drop in the bucket of the total number of people who enter the United States, both legally and illegally, in search of a better life.
Customs and Border Protection officials have not yet announced the number of migrants encountered at the border in December, but officials have told multiple news outlets that the total number of border crossings will set a new record.
Federal data obtained by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) shows more than 250,000 Notices to Appear (NTA) were issued in December, the organization said in 2001. This is the highest number since tracking began.
The number of NTA cases representing pending asylum cases reached 264,542 last month alone.
There is a staggering backlog of more than 3 million cases, and these asylum cases often take years to reach their first hearing.
