Biden administration sues Texas over floating border barrier

Get FREE US Politics & Policy Updates

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding American politics and policy News every morning.

The Biden administration is suing the state of Texas over an increasingly aggressive approach to policing the country’s southern border, sparking a fractious political impasse over immigration.

In a complaint filed Monday, the US Justice Department said the installation of the floating barricade, which spans at least 1,000 feet across the Rio Grande River, failed to obtain required federal permits.

“Our allegation is that Texas violated federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the necessary federal authorization,” said Associate US Attorney-General Vanita Gupta.

The case marks the most significant intervention by a Democratic administration at the border and a divisive crackdown intensified by Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, on migrants seeking to enter the state. His effort, dubbed “Operation Lone Star”, has led to the detention of nearly 400,000 migrants since March 2021.

Tens of thousands of them have been bused to mostly Democratic cities on the US east and west coasts, in what critics have called political theatre.

The state began construction of the new floating barrier — made up of a series of orange buoys — earlier this month near the city of Eagle Pass.

In the federal case filed in Austin court on Monday, the DOJ said it was denied an opportunity to “evaluate the risks to public safety and the environment” to mitigate potential risks and assess whether the project was in the public interest, according to the complaint.

The DoJ is seeking relief that includes removing the floating barrier from Texas, a moratorium on further construction, and giving government costs and disbursements.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Monday ahead of the DoJ’s filing, Abbott said he had “emphasized Texas’ sovereign interest in protecting (her) borders” and claimed the case against the state was “a side issue”.

“If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws,” the governor wrote. “Texas will see you in court, Mr. President.”

With people moving across the US in record numbers, the crisis at the southern US border has become a major political headache and culture war point for the Biden administration.

The issue was in the spotlight again in May with the expiration of a pandemic-era policy called Title 42, which allowed US border agents to quickly deport migrants back to Mexico instead of processing their asylum cases.

White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that Abbott was taking “dangerous” and “unlawful” actions that were “undermining” the administration’s efforts to secure the US-Mexico border.

“The governor’s action is making it difficult to reach the river, patrol the area. , , and arrest individuals attempting to enter the country illegally,” Jean-Pierre said. “The one person who is creating chaos is Governor Abbott. , , That’s what he keeps doing. , , Political stunt in an inhuman manner.”

US homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall is leading a US delegation to Mexico City this week to participate in a meeting with Mexican and Canadian officials to discuss “our regional migration challenge”, according to a White House official.

A Biden administration official was quick to point out that since the repeal of Title 42, illegal border crossings have fallen to their lowest level in more than two years. The official said that more than 24,000 agents and officers are working to secure the border.