Leaders in the Lone Star State are standing their ground as the Department of Justice sues the state to take down deterrents built in an attempt to stop unlawful migration.
The Department of Justice under President Joe Biden has sued Texas over the installation of a buoy system on the Rio Grande, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta explained in a press release, “We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization.”
“This floating barrier poses threats to navigation and public safety and presents humanitarian concerns. Additionally, the presence of the floating barrier has prompted diplomatic protests by Mexico and risks damaging U.S. foreign policy,” she continued.
Gov. Greg Abbott, however, has stood his ground, telling the DOJ that he will not remove the buoys.
“Texas will see you in court, Mr. President,” he said in a recent letter. “The fact is, if you would just enforce the immigration laws Congress already has on the books, America would not be suffering from your record-breaking level of illegal immigration.”
Some politicians are siding with Abbott, calling for Biden to work toward securing the border and stemming the historic levels of mass unlawful migration.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reacted to the lawsuit, “Thank God Texas is standing up and fighting to defend our state.”
“It’s rich that Joe Biden and his administration have utterly failed in the southern border. They produced the worst illegal immigration in the history of our nation — seven million people have crossed illegally under Joe Biden — and what does the Biden Administration do?” he asked.
“They don’t show up in the border and say, ‘We’re going to fix the problem.’ What do they do instead? They come in and sue Texas and say, ‘Damn it Texas, why are you trying to protect Texans, to stop the cartels and stop the drugs?’” he continued. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) denounced Biden’s legal action against Texas, highlighting, “We have known terrorists illegally crossing our borders, people on the terror watchlist that he is not prosecuting.”
“But he’s now going to turn his attention and fight the state of Texas for doing the job that he won’t,” Harrison explained. “This is the state of Texas. We are the first impacted by this disaster, we are the most impacted, and Mr. President, if you or your team is watching, I would say this to you: Do your job or get the hell out of the way.”
“Gov. Abbott is exactly right to be deploying these buoys and doing the job that Joe Biden won’t, and saving Texas, saving America from the Biden border crisis,” he concluded.
Similarly, Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) said, “It’s clear that the Biden Administration is going to do whatever it takes to thwart our attempts at securing the border!”
“I’m grateful to hear our Governor push back, and I hope [Gov. Abbott] will call a special session so we can pass the original HB20 [which was killed on a Point of Order in the 88th session], and continue to SECURE OUR BORDER!”
Former Sen. Don Huffines, who challenged Abbott in the 2022 primary, said, “Stop the Invasion” and “Ignore the federal government.”
“Our Texas Border is under attack,” he added, suggesting, “Anyone aiding and abetting the invasion on our Texas Border needs to be arrested.”
Others, however, denounced Abbott and Texas’ attempt to secure the southern border.
Robert “Beto” O’Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Abbott for the governorship, claimed, “Greg Abbott has blood on his hands. We have the chance to stop him.”
Elsewhere, he said, “What Abbott is doing on the border is criminal. President Biden is the only person who can stop him.”
Some have claimed Texas stands on shaky legal ground.
Crash Lewin wrote on social media, “The actions of Texas are frivolous. For a couple hundred years, states could not block navigable waterways without approval. It is clearly illegal. It is too bad that rather than work on a problem, the governor goes for meaningless and futile stunts.”
Likewise, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director for the American Immigration Council, asserted, “The US Constitution does not give states the authority to carry out immigration enforcement at the border. Period. Nothing in the Constitution says anything like that, which is probably why the Biden administration has ignored any letters claiming otherwise.”