On December 21, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt submitted a motion for a preliminary injunction on President Joe Biden’s order halting construction of the southern border wall.
The attorneys general have filed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, requesting the federal court order the Biden administration to resume building the barrier, a project begun by Former President Donald Trump.
This motion from the State of Texas and State of Missouri is a follow-on pleading to the initial border wall lawsuit Paxton filed on the same basis in October. In the suit, the attorney general requested that the Biden administration resume border wall construction.
This lawsuit asserts that the Biden administration violated federal law when it barred the Department of Homeland Security from spending the money that Congress had allocated towards constructing a border wall.
Not long after the suit was first filed, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the federal funding for the wall would be used to address environmental and safety concerns at the border.
“The Biden Administration, again and again, refuses to aid Texans battling the border crisis every day,” Attorney General Paxton stated. “Their response to this crisis is irresponsible, inhumane, and inexcusable. It is time for them to quit hiding behind red tape and help Americans in need. This congressionally-approved border wall will help law enforcement along the border and restore order to our state. A physical wall is essential for border security, and I am demanding that President Biden do his part to keep Texas and America safe.”
The motion also comes after Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas has begun the undertaking of building its own border wall in Rio Grande City, using state funds.
The complaint can be read here, the preliminary injunction motion here, and the reply backing the motion here.