Biden Administration Sues Texas Over Floating Border Barriers

Madlin Mekelburg
·1 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration sued Texas on Monday over a floating barrier of buoys the state recently deployed in the Rio Grande, arguing that the border security measure violates federal law and was installed without authorization.

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The lawsuit was filed after Republican Governor Greg Abbott refused to remove the river barrier at the request of the US Justice Department, an escalation of the ongoing dispute over immigration enforcement that has pit the Biden administration against GOP leaders of states along the US-Mexico border.

In a social media post, Abbott argued Texas has “the sovereign authority to defend our border” and that such state action was made necessary by Biden’s “refusal to secure the border.”

The White House on Monday called the governor’s actions unlawful, adding that the barriers obstruct the duties of border patrol agents, undermine the president’s migration policies and pose a humanitarian risk to migrants.

“The one person that is sowing chaos is Governor Abbott,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “That’s what he continues to do — political stunts in an inhumane way.”

The lawsuit contends that Texas failed to obtain the necessary federal authorization to construct a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, as federal law prohibits the placement of any unauthorized barriers in navigable US waters.

The barrier at issue is made up of a string of large buoys that stretches at least 1,000 feet.

The case is US v. Greg Abbott, 1:23-cv-00853, US District Court, Western District of Texas (Austin).

--With assistance from Akayla Gardner.

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