By Steve Neavling
A federal appeals court ordered Texas to remove a floating barrier on the Rio Grande, siding with the Biden administration’s argument that the wire is preventing Border Patrol agents from reaching at-risk migrants.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday required Texas to cease working on the approximately 1,000-square-foot barrier and move it to the riverbank, the Associated Press reports.
Two days before the decision, another federal court gave Border Patrol agents permission to continue cutting razor wire that Texas had installed along the riverbank.
Texas has claimed that federal law does not apply to some sections of the Rio Grande.
The appeals court said a lower court’s ruling was correct.
“It considered the threat to navigation and federal government operations on the Rio Grande, as well as the potential threat to human life the floating barrier created,” Judge Dana Douglas wrote in the opinion.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said the court’s decision was “clearly wrong.”
“We’ll go to SCOTUS if needed to protect Texas from Biden’s open borders,” Abbott posted.
In an effort to stem illegal immigration, the state of Texas had spent $11 million to place 70,000 rolls of concertina wire across the border, causing some migrants to be seriously injured and increasing the risk of drownings.
The Border Patrol was opposed to the wire, saying it’s preventing agents from reaching at-risk migrants, including infants and unaccompanied children.
