Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday that he secured an administrative stay that prevents federal agents from cutting concertina wire along the border to deter unlawful entry into Texas.
A previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses ended an emergency restraining order that barred federal agents from cutting the wire, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Shortly after Moses’ ruling, Paxton announced in a press release that he would be filing an appeal that would “enjoin the federal government from cutting, destroying, damaging, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s concertina wire fence until the court can hold a final trial.”
This latest ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will prevent “federal immigration officials from damaging Texas’s wire fences while the U.S. Department of Justice prepares a response to Texas’s motion for an injunction pending appeal of the district court’s order,” according to a press release sent to The Dallas Express.
“I am pleased the court recognized the extent of the federal government’s blatant and disturbing efforts to subvert law and order at our State’s border with Mexico,” said Paxton, per the press release.
“This is an important step supporting Texas’s right to protect our citizens from Biden’s doctrine of open borders at any cost,” he added.
The initial lawsuit was filed in October by Paxton, who also filed for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and multiple other agencies.
Officials explicitly named in the lawsuit include Mayorkas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, and Juan Bernal, acting chief patrol agent for CBP Del Rio Sector, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
This lawsuit was filed by Paxton in response to reports that federal agents were cutting the concertina wire along the border meant to deter unlawful migrants from entering Texas.
“Federal agents not only cut Texas’s concertina wire but also attach ropes or cables from the back of pickup trucks to ease aliens’ ability to illegally climb up the riverbank into Texas. And they regularly cut new openings in the wire fence, sometimes immediately after Texas officers have placed new wire to plug up gaps in fencing barriers,” reads the complaint.
The ongoing conflict between the State of Texas and the White House has continued to escalate in recent months, with Gov. Greg Abbott declaring that the state is “at war with the White House, fighting to secure our own border,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In a statement sent to The Dallas Express, the White House claimed President Joe Biden was doing everything possible to “take steps to manage the border in a safe, orderly, and humane manner while honoring the promise of America that has led generations of immigrants to become part of our Nation’s fabric.”
“The only way to truly fix this broken system is for Congress to pass new laws. On my first day in office, I sent Congress a plan that would crack down on illegal immigration and strengthen legal immigration processes,” Biden said.
“It includes smart border management; streamlined asylum processes; and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary protective status, and immigrant farmworkers who put food on our tables. I will continue to call on Congress to act on my plan,” he claimed.