Texas is facing much criticism after installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande to stop irregular crossing, and US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the Texas government. Justice Department has started legal action to remove the floating barriers raising humanitarian and territorial risks. The floating border is about 1000 feet long across the Rio Grande, and the Taxes Governor rejected to lift those barriers. Then on Monday, US Justice Department took legal action. In a statement on Monday, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said the Taxes had abolished the federal laws by installing the floating barriers in the Rio Grande without obtaining the essential federal authorization.
In addition to the safety concerns, Gupta said the floating barrier risks American foreign policy and can hamper navigation. Mexico recently filed a complaint with the federal government, accusing the violation of border treaties signed in 1944 and 1970. An array of large, orange buoys are anchored to the riverbed outside Eagle Pass, Texas, forming a barrier. Additionally, this is one of the latest initiatives by Texas’s Republican governor to strengthen the US-Mexico border. The move is in response to what they called lenient immigration policies at the federal level.
Earlier today, Abbott, who has a political stance against President Joe Biden, released a statement that seemed to welcome the potential lawsuit. In his response, Abbott defended the idea of a border wall as necessary to prevent irregular migration. Moreover, he criticized President Biden for not enforcing federal immigration laws. He claimed that Texas would use its sovereign authority to address the border crisis that he believes Biden has caused.
The Floating Border Can Cause Humanitarian Risks
Since the expiration of Title 42 in May, the amount of unofficial border crossings from Mexico into the US has decreased. Title 42 was a COVID-related policy that enabled border officials to deny asylum seekers without correctly processing their claims. Furthermore, according to the US Customs and Border Protection, there was a decrease of almost 30% in irregular crossings along the southwest border from May to June. The number of “crossings” went down from 206,702 to 144,571.
However, the policy’s expiration exerts new consequences for those who cross the border through informal means. Migrants and asylum seekers could face a five-year ban from the country and the possibility of criminal prosecution. The Biden administration is requesting that asylum seekers should attempt to find refuge in the countries they pass through before seeking asylum at the border. They may seek asylum at the border if they do not get approval.
The White House criticized Governor Abbott’s border initiative on Monday, citing their own immigration efforts as lawful. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, accused Governor Abbott of causing chaos along the Rio Grande and making it more difficult for those charged with protecting the border to do their job. She criticized the floating barrier as a political tactic and condemned Abbott for implementing such measures to discourage migration. The floating barrier is a component of Operation Lone Star, a comprehensive initiative launched in 2021 by Governor Abbott to address various issues in Texas.
