The U.S. Supreme Court recently sided with the Biden administration, allowing Border Patrol agents to cut through or move razor wire that Texas officials installed on the southern border to stymie illegal immigration.
In a 5-4 vote, the High Court granted the Biden administration’s emergency request, which argued that Texas prevented Border Patrol agents from performing their duties.
The four conservative-leaning judges on the U.S. Supreme Court who rejected the federal government’s order were Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
As part of an effort to reduce illegal immigration in the Lone Star State, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered officials to install razor wire near the Rio Grande at the southern border. Despite his order, Border Patrol agents cut through the wire, leading the Texas governor and the Biden administration into conflict.
Initially, a federal judge ruled in favor of President Joe Biden until a New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the judge’s decision, saying Border Patrol agents could not cut through the razor wire unless there was a medical emergency.
Abbott previously launched a large-scale anti-illegal immigration plan called Operation Lone Star, which involves Texas officials busing unlawful migrants to Democrat-run cities across the U.S. and arresting those who cross illegally into the Lone Star State on trespassing charges.
The Biden administration eventually sued Texas for placing buoys along the Rio Grande to prevent illegal crossings.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton denounced a request by the Biden administration, ordering the state to discontinue its takeover of a public park in Eagle Pass, Texas, following an incident involving the deaths of three unlawful migrants trying to cross the Rio Grande.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later blamed Texas for the incident, saying that Border Patrol agents were “physically barred” from entering the area and helping the illegal immigrants.
“It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area — including through its surveillance trucks that assisted in monitoring the area,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in a court filing, representing the Biden administration.
Paxton reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision, accusing it of allowing “Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America.”
The Supreme Court’s temporary order allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America. 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…
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) January 22, 2024
“The destruction of Texas’s border barriers will not help enforce the law or keep American cities safe,” the Texas attorney general wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This fight is not over, and I look forward to defending our state’s sovereignty.”
