Cullen McCue | Trending Politics
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to continue the state’s border security efforts after the Supreme Court ruled that Border Patrol agents have the authority to cut razor-wire fencing set up in the Eagle Pass area.
“This is not over,” Abbott wrote in an X post shortly after the ruling was handed down. “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.”
Last week, Texas law enforcement and National Guard personnel seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, a public park that has become popular for large crossings of illegal aliens.
As part of the “Operation Lonestar” effort, Governor Abbott signed a new law that will allow Texas officials to arrest illegal aliens before deporting them through local courts. This is in direct defiance of the Biden Administration’s “catch and release” policy, under which illegal aliens are provided with court dates before being released into the wider United States.
This has led to a record number of illegal aliens crossing the southern border in both 2022 and 2023, with the surge reaching upwards of 10,000 illegals entering per day on average.
Tuesday’s ruling pertains to roughly 30 miles of concertina wire, a type of barbed wire with sharp blades, that was set up by Texas National Guard personnel as a response to the historic influx of border crossers. Border Patrol personnel have previously been seen cutting wire in the Eagle Pass area, arguing that illegal aliens in the area have already entered U.S. territory and are thus eligible for asylum claims.
The Biden Administration has also accused Texas of being complicit in the recent drowning of three people in the Rio Grande River, something Texas has disputed. Texas officials have cited Mexican government reports, who informed the Biden Administration of the drownings well in advance.
Abbott’s decision to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling has been met with praise from a number of Republican lawmakers who have argued that the Biden Administration is failing to uphold national sovereignty. U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) described the open border as a “civil war scenario.”
“My thoughts are that the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground,” he said.