Texas Governor Greg Abbott continues to erect razor wire around the border town hit by migrants despite a US Supreme Court ruling this week that gives federal agents access to the area.
“Texas razor wire is an effective deterrent to illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policy,” Abbott wrote emphatically on X Wednesday.
“We continue to use this razor wire to drive out illegal immigrants.”
Texas officials cordoned off Shelby Park in Eagle Pass earlier this month and stationed state National Guard units at the site to block anyone, including Border Patrol agents without prior approval, from entering.
Abbott argued that the parcel had been used as a gathering place for immigrants entering the US by crossing the nearby Rio Grande river.
Denying access to the area, he said, discourages illegal entry into Eagle Pass, Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security is fighting to regain access to the area, arguing that its staff cannot reach immigrants who need emergency treatment.
The Texas military continued to put up fences around places of worship for immigrants this week. Reuters
In a 5-4 decision this week, the Supreme Court ruled that US Border Patrol agents can cut concertina wires to access sites if necessary.
But Abbott has since redoubled his efforts, installing additional razor wire in the area since the ruling.
NewsNation reporter Jorge Ventura posted footage of state troops installing new coils of barbed wire in the contested area late Tuesday.
Ventura also stated that he did not see any attempt by the Border Patrol to cut through the fence.
He posted footage to X of some immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande who were unable to continue into Texas because of obstacles.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has argued that maintaining open spaces encourages illegal immigration. ADAM DAVIS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Abbott has clashed with the Biden administration for months over what he sees as lax enforcement of immigration laws.
The lack of federal action, Abbott said, allowed illegal immigration to surge and overwhelm the Lone Star State’s border towns.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department threatened to sue Texas if it allows state authorities to arrest and prosecute illegal immigrants under a law scheduled to take effect in March.
The Department of Justice has also filed suit against the state over the construction of floating barriers on the Rio Grande. An appeals court recently ruled that the barrier can remain on the river, which serves as the border between the US and Mexico.
Reuters
Insisting that other states should absorb illegal immigrants in addition to border states like Texas and California, Abbott has brought nearly 100,000 immigrants to sanctuary cities, including New York and Chicago. However, his efforts remain a drop in the sea of people entering the US legally and illegally, seeking a better life.
Customs and Border Protection officials have yet to release the number of migrant encounters at the border in December, but sources told multiple outlets it will set a new record for the number of crossings.
Eagle Pass, Texas, has been hit with a surge of immigrants over the past year. Reuters
Federal data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University shows more than 250,000 Notices to Appear (NTAs) were issued in December — the highest number since the organization began tracking in 2001.
NTAs – which represent pending asylum cases – totaled 264,542 last month alone.
With a staggering backlog of more than 3 million, those asylum cases can often take years to reach an initial hearing.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
