Posted on 07/21/2023 11:54:02 AM PDT by Red Badger
AUSTIN, Texas — The Biden administration is planning to sue Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) in the coming days over the state's placement of a 1,000-foot-long barrier of floating buoys in the river at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to multiple reports Friday morning.
The Justice Department sent the three-term Republican governor a letter on Thursday alerting the state of its forthcoming lawsuit over its floating wall in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the letter.
Courtesy image: Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)
“The State of Texas’s actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, present serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may interfere with the federal government’s ability to carry out its official duties,” the DOJ wrote in the letter.
The DOJ added that federal law bars the "creation of any obstruction to the navigable capacity of waters of the United States, and further prohibits building any structure in such waters without authorization from the United States Army Corps of Engineers."
The legal action came just one day after the White House strongly criticized Texas's border fence but did not call it illegal.
A reporter asked about the fence during the afternoon press briefing and whether it violated any laws, leading to a sharp response from press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
"I can't speak to the legal piece of the wires," Jean-Pierre told Dallas Morning News reporter Todd Gillman. "What I can say is that we're going to continue to condemn any actions, these types of actions, that [Abbott] takes. When it comes to treating these immigrants in an inhumane way, that we'll be very clear about."
Dozens of large buoys that are set to be deployed in the Rio Grande are unloaded, Friday, July 7, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas, where border crossings continue to place stress on local resources. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Abbott announced on June 8 that the state would erect a maritime wall in the coming weeks.
Texas moved forward with the installation in early July despite being sued by an Eagle Pass-based kayak tour company days earlier.
Epi's Canoe and Kayak Team owner Jesse Fuentes sued Abbott over the buoys on the basis that he would be "unable to conduct tours and canoe and kayak sessions in Eagle Pass because of the installation of the buoys" and will sustain "imminent and irreparable harm."
The lawsuit argued that Abbott's use of the Texas Disaster Act was unfounded. Abbott vowed to fight the Biden administration all the way to the highest court.
"We will see you in court," Abbott tweeted on July 7. "And don't think the Travis Co. Court will be the end of it. This is going to the Supreme Court. Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border."
Mexico also filed a complaint over the buoys, citing a violation of a water treaty.
Abbott initially said the barrier would serve as another layer of border security and deter immigrants from crossing in certain areas and funnel people who do cross to other parts of the river where federal and state officials can apprehend them.
"When we're dealing with 100 or 1,000 people, one of the goals is to slow down and deter as many of them as possible," Abbott said on June 8. "Some may eventually get to the border where they are going to face that multilayered razor wire and a full force of National Guard and DPS officers."
The impending lawsuit is not related to separate concerns about a rising number of injuries and deaths of immigrants as a result of attempting to cross the border into Eagle Pass. The state's concertina wire and buoys have made crossing so treacherous that one Texas Department of Public Safety trooper-medic told his superior these border policies "have stepped over the line into the inhumane," according to an email he sent that was obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Eighty House Democrats rallied together on Friday in a united call for the Biden administration to intervene in Abbott's Operation Lone Star border security initiative.
SEE VIDEOS AT LINK.......................
Locals told the Washington Examiner in June they were optimistic about the idea of a maritime barrier but worried the measure was already too little, too late.
Haisten Willis contributed to this report.
Looks like the invaders could swim underneath the buoys.
AG Paxton has sued the Biden admin 25 or so times regarding immigration. And won most of them, but this admin doesn’t give a damn about the law.
Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution.
We have sent the Biden Administration numerous letters detailing our authority, including the one I hand-delivered to President Biden earlier this year.
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1682451372766121989
The tragic humanitarian crisis on the border was created because of Biden’s refusal to secure the border.
His open border policies encourage migrants to risk their lives crossing illegally through the Rio Grande, instead of safely and legally over a bridge.
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1682451374162825229
The purpose of the placement of the buoys, is to keep a wall of hundreds or thousands from crossing together at the points where the buoys are placed.
A few swimming underneath the buoys is a minor thing compared to thousands crossing in waves.
If President Biden truly cared about human life, he would enforce federal immigration laws.
In the meantime, Texas will fully utilize its sovereign authority to respond to the border crisis Biden created.
#OperationLoneStar will continue to hold the line.
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1683557652129783810
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.