US Immigration: Texas Sues the Biden Admin. Over Razor Wire Cutting

Facts

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration in an effort to stop federal agents from cutting the state’s concertina razor wire that acts as a barrier at the Rio Grande on the US-Mexico border.¹
• The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration is 'undermining' Texas’ efforts to enforce its own border security. In a news release, the Republican attorney general stated that 'Texas has the sovereign right to construct border barriers to prevent the entry of illegal aliens.'²
• The suit was filed Tuesday in the Western District of Texas and comes amid a battle over border security measures between Texas and the White House. Last month, Border Patrol agents began removing parts of the wire fence Texas had implemented under Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2021 Operation Lone Star, an initiative aimed at curtailing illegal migration.³
• US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to comment on the lawsuit, but migrant activists claim the razor wire has injured migrants who attempted to enter the US illegally at the Rio Grande. The barriers in Brownsville and Eagle Pass drew criticism for causing wounds.⁴
• Federal agents have reportedly cut through the wire to respond to medical emergencies, and one Texas official in Eagle Pass claimed that officers may need to open the wire in case of emergency. However, Paxton says that the Biden administration is pre-emptively cutting the wire without cause and helping migrants enter Texas illegally.⁵
• This dispute after Biden allowed the Title 42 migration restriction to expire in May, resulting in an uptick in apprehensions. Texas has built floating barriers to stop more than 200K migrants from entering the state each month, but the DOJ sued the state and asked for their removal; the 5th Circuit Court will allow them to remain in place while it considers the case.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²The Hill, ³National Review, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵FOX News and ⁶CNN.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. While America’s southern border is being invaded by hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens every month, the Biden administration is more concerned with tearing down border security efforts and helping migrants sneak across the Rio Grande. Texas, however, has strong leadership that cares about state sovereignty and safety. State and federal governments not only have the right but also the duty, to implement any mechanism necessary to stop the invasion at the Southern Border, regardless of Joe Biden’s open borders agenda.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Los Angeles Times. Texas’ razor wire border isn’t about security, it's a political stunt aimed at inflicting the most suffering on migrants. Texas’ policy is ineffective, and it has caused inhumane lacerations and injuries to migrants trying to seek a better life in the US. The cruelty of Republicans knows no bounds, and federal agents have every right to cut down these barbaric fences that harm women and children — especially when medical emergencies are involved.