Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Damaged Razor Wire at Border
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated a lawsuit against the Biden administration, specifically targeting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. The legal action alleges that federal authorities have been involved in cutting or damaging the razor wire installed by Texas along its border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the United States.
According to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the removal of concertina wire by federal agents has not only resulted in the illegal destruction of property owned by the State of Texas but has also disrupted the state’s efforts to maintain border security. It argues that these actions have created gaps in Texas’s border barriers, undermining its ability to effectively deter illegal entry.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott had previously posted a video showing Border Patrol agents seemingly cutting the wire to allow migrants to pass through and be processed. In response, he ordered the wire to be replaced.
Border Patrol officials and union representatives have emphasized that migrants can still be on U.S. soil even if they are on the other side of barriers, whether it is wire or a border wall. Agents must still apprehend them and take them into custody. It has been noted that Border Patrol agents may open gates or barriers to facilitate the detention and processing of migrants.
In its defense, DHS stated that Border Patrol agents are required by federal law to take those who have crossed onto U.S. soil without authorization into custody for processing and to ensure the safety of migrants and the workforce. They did not comment on the ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit highlights the use of razor wire to secure borders and the DHS’s acknowledgment that it serves as a deterrent to prevent illegal crossings. Notably, the removal of the wire occurred in September, a month when the U.S. saw record migrant crossings.
The legal complaint argues that in just two weeks in September, approximately 14,000 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass, which equals the total number of alien apprehensions in the entire Del Rio Sector for an entire year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, and 2018.
The lawsuit further claims that between September and October, the federal government seized or damaged the wire more than 20 times, causing harm to Texas, damaging private property, and disrupting border security. The state alleges that these actions have led to increased costs for providing healthcare, public education, incarceration, and driver’s licenses.
Ken Paxton emphasized the sovereign right of Texas to construct barriers to prevent illegal migration and stated that the removal of the wire puts the country and its citizens at risk. He urged the courts to take action, asserting that allowing these practices to continue would exacerbate the immigration crisis. This legal action unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing scrutiny over the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border, which witnessed a record number of migrant encounters in FY 2023.
I was at the U.S. & Mexico Border in Eagle Pass Texas.
I personally witnessed Border Patrol cut the razor wire fences to let migrants in who crossed into the United States Illegally.
WATCH 👇 https://t.co/Bt2PopLOCK https://t.co/erj8EXkDpZ pic.twitter.com/G6zR6miYDv— JLR© (@JLRINVESTIGATES) October 24, 2023
