Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defends building floating border wall along Rio Grande to try and slow migrants from crossing border into US
Texas Governor Greg Abbott staunchly defended his decision to install a floating border wall along the Rio Grande to attempt to keep illegal migrants from entering his state.
'I will do whatever I have to do to defend our state from the invasion of the Mexican drug cartels and others who have tried to come into our country illegally, and I will protect our sovereignty,' the three-term Republican leader of the Lone Star state told the state's Republican county chairs on Friday.
Abbott installed a nearly 1,000-foot line of large, bright-orange buoys that create a divide in the river that separates the US from Mexico.
Recently, Joe Biden's Justice Department filed suit to have the floating border removed, arguing it is illegal and raises both humanitarian and environmental concerns.
But, so far, Abbott has refused to remove the barriers.
Migrants who reached shore walk between the floating border and barb wire along the Rio Grande border with Texas. The line of buoys was installed to prevent illegal crossings into Texas, and primarily into Eagle Pass
The improvised border was installed near Eagle Pass, a city thought to be a primary entry point for illegal border crossings.
The creative solution to an ongoing issue also allows authorities to move and extend the floating border to cover 'hot spots' where migrants are sneaking into the US.
'It's called operation hold the line. They are holding the line and ensuring that nobody enters the state of Texas illegally,' said Abbott.
Despite the DOJ's suit, which calls the floating border an 'unlawful construction,' the southern governor has no plans to remove it.
'He gave me a lawsuit, and by God, Joe Biden, we will see you in court,' said Abbott with conviction.
'I challenge the federal government to show that they have spent that much money in the state of Texas on the border under Joe Biden as president,' he added.
As the suit was filed early last week, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said: 'We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization.'
She added Abbott's move has prompted diplomatic objections from Mexico.
In a pre-emptive response to any protests from the administration, Abbott wrote a letter to President Joe Biden that read in part: 'If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws.'
'By doing so, you can help me stop migrants from wagering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River.
'You can also help me save Texans, and indeed all Americans, from deadly drugs like fentanyl, cartel violence, and the horrors of human trafficking. To end the risk that migrants will be harmed crossing the border illegally, you must fully enforce the laws of the United States that prohibit illegal immigration between ports of entry.'
A caravan of illegal migrants attempts to wade past a string of buoys being installed to prevent crossings in the Rio Grande river
Part of the string of buoys seen on land. Governor Greg Abbott has called the effort 'operation hold the line'
The floating border extends about 1,000 feet and can be moved based on where crossing 'hot spots' are
Migrants from Venezuela - one of them breastfeeding a baby - waded through the Rio Grande past buoys and razor wire searching for an entry point into the US
A member of the Texas National Guard stands with a barb wire as they reinforce the northern border with steel spikes below the Reforma International Bridge, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
On Friday, the same day Abbott delivered his fiery remarks, a group gathered outside the Governor's mansion in downtown Austin to protest the new border policy.
Under Operation Lone Star, Texas has deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the border and bussed migrants to Democrat-led cities far from the border.
The president's administration has welcomed over 500,000 aliens over the past two years under programs designed to reduce the number of illegals who try to sneak across the border with Mexico.
Officials from the Customs and Border Protection say there were fewer than 145,000 encounters with unauthorized migrants in June along the frontier with Mexico.
That is down from more than 200,000 per month at the start of this year.
But there are still believed to be at least 100,000 migrants waiting at the boundary hoping to get into the U.S.
Source: Daily Mail
