CV NEWS FEED // Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that his state’s quest to secure its 1,254-mile border with Mexico is “not over” after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration Monday.
In a 5-4 ruling, the Court allowed the federal government to remove razor wire that Abbott’s administration placed over a stretch of the border where migrants illegally cross in droves.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the Court’s three liberal justices in the ruling. Meanwhile, Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas sided with Texas.
“This is not over,” Abbott wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening, shortly after the ruling was announced.
“Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages,” he continued. “I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property.”
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton agreed with Abbott.
“The Supreme Court’s temporary order allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America,” Paxton told FOX News late Monday. “The destruction of Texas’s border barriers will not help enforce the law or keep American citizens safe.”
“This fight is not over, and I look forward to defending our state’s sovereignty,” he added.
Later on Monday night, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez also backed up his governor’s border control policies.
“The State of Texas, under Gov. [Abbott]’s Operation Lone Star, will maintain its current posture in deterring illegal border crossings by utilizing effective border security measures – reinforced concertina wire [and] anti-climb barriers along the Rio Grande,” wrote Olivarez:
The logical concern should be why the Federal Government continues to hinder Texas’ ability to protect its border, all while allowing for the exploitation, dangerous, inhumane methods of permitting illegal immigrants, including children, to illegally cross a dangerous river where many have lost their lives.
Olivarez pointed out that “Texas is the only state using every strategy [and] resource to protect its sovereignty, combat criminal activity, [and] discourage illegal immigration.”
Abbott later reposted Olivarez’s post.
Speaking with FOX, National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) President Brandon Judd said the Supreme Court’s ruling “means Border Patrol agents are going to be tied up dealing with give ups rather than going after the criminal elements that constantly cross our borders illegally.”
NBPC is the official labor union of the U.S. Border Patrol.
“The [Biden] administration no doubt will say this is a win for border security, but if they sought rank and file input, they would be told this will do the exact opposite,” Judd said. “Agents support what Texas was trying to accomplish in the absence of true border security policies from this administration.”
>> TX NATIONAL GUARD SEIZES BORDER PARK IN EAGLE PASS <<
Being an area where illegal immigrants frequently cross into the country, Eagle Pass has featured prominently in the ongoing policy and legal battles between the Abbott and Biden administrations.
A week and a half ago, the Texas National Guard seized control of a public city park situated on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass under orders of the governor. This move placed the state again at odds with the Biden administration.
The NBPC also defended Abbott for taking that action. “Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them,” the union said in a statement at the time. “Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”
>> BIDEN ADMIN ORDERS TX NATIONAL GUARD TO LEAVE EAGLE PASS PARK <<
NBC News indicated that the governor “installed the razor wire near the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass as part of an operation to address illegal immigration that has brought the state into conflict with the Biden administration.”
On the day of the ruling, the Biden White House called Abbott’s move a “political stunt,” claiming it “make[s] it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs.”
