Appeals Court: Texas River Barriers Can Stay

Facts

• The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled to let Texas keep its floating barrier in the Rio Grande River, issuing a temporary stay on a lower court ruling.¹
• This comes after Senior US Judge David Alan Ezra on Wednesday ordered the state to remove — at least temporarily — buoys that were placed in the river in an effort to control immigration from the border with Mexico.²
• Ezra’s order said Texas provided no “credible evidence” that illegal immigration has slowed since the barrier was installed and gave the state until Sept. 15 to remove it from the water.³
• A lawsuit filed in July by the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) argued that Texas violated federal law by installing a structure that endangered migrants, hindered the US Border Patrol’s activities, and harmed the US’ relationship with Mexico.⁴
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott disagreed with the ruling and, in a statement, vowed to “fight all the way' to the Supreme Court.⁵
• This ruling comes during Abbott’s ongoing disagreement with the Biden administration over border security. As part of Abbott’s 'Operation Lone Star,' the Texas National Guard has been deployed to the border, migrants have been arrested on trespassing charges, and migrants have also been bused to Democrat-led cities.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²USA Today, ³Associated Press, ⁴New York Times, ⁵One America and ⁶CBS.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by NBC. Hopefully, this ruling is a sign that the DOJ is going to win this suit so Texas will no longer be able to install these shameful barriers that threaten human life and impede safe navigation of waterways. Someone has to stop Abbott’s campaign of cruelty against immigrants, which has resulted in intolerable suffering and even a fatality.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Abbott is trying to re-establish a strong southern border — something the US needs to survive, especially in the face of a deluge of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico. But the Biden administration — and Judge Ezra — seem intent on weakening America’s security. It's imperative that Abbott continues to fight and eventually wins in his effort to protect the US.