Border Patrol Agents Can Resume Clearing Texas Wire Following Supreme Court Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court will allow U.S. Border Patrol agents to resume cutting razor wire that was installed by the State of Texas along portions of the Texas-Mexico border, as disagreements between Texas officials and the Biden Administration grows.
The court ruled in a 5 to 4 decision to grant an emergency request by the Biden administration to allow agents to remove the wire. The White House claimed the Texas wire hampered the ability of Border Patrol agents to do their jobs, including coming to the aid of migrants who were cut on the wire and impeding their ability to reach the Rio Grande River in the area around Eagle Pass.
Texas had initially sued the administration in October 2023, claiming that Border Patrol agents were "cutting, destroying, or otherwise damaging Texas's concertina wire that had been strategically positioned for the purpose of securing the border."
A federal judge ruled for the administration, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, saying agents could not cut or move the wire unless there was a medical emergency.
“Enforcement of immigration law is a federal responsibility,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in a statement. “Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for frontline personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law.”
Texas Officials Undeterred
The wire was initially installed under an immigration plan from Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) called Operation Lone Star.
Governor Abbott wrote on X that the ruling will not deter him.
"This is not over," Governor Abbott wrote. "Texas' razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages. I will continue to defend Texas' constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property."
And Business Insider reports that Texas can continue putting up all the fencing it wants, but only if it doesn’t get into federal law enforcement’s way.
"If they put up wire, that's fine," a source said of Texas. "If it interferes with federal law enforcement's ability to do its job, that's when there's an issue."
Shelby Park Incident
Meanwhile, Texas is still preventing federal law enforcement from reaching Shelby Park, a public park in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rebuffed a White House request that the state back off its takeover.
DHS says Border Patrol agents were “physically barred” from entering the area to respond to a recent incident in which three people drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande.
“The Texas Military Department continues to hold the line in Shelby Park to deter and prevent unlawful entry into the State of Texas,” the agency said in a statement.