The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over immigration enforcement.
Quick Read
- Justice Department’s Request: The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene in Texas’ actions blocking Border Patrol agents from a section of the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Texas Fencing Off Public Park: Texas fenced off a public park in Eagle Pass, a major crossing point for migrants, effectively taking control of nearly 50 acres.
- Impact on Border Patrol: The fencing has prevented the Border Patrol from accessing and monitoring this stretch of the border.
- Governor Abbott’s Stance: Texas Governor Greg Abbott asserts the state’s authority to control access to any location within its borders.
- Operation Lone Star: The closure of the park is part of Governor Abbott’s broader border enforcement efforts known as Operation Lone Star.
- Border Patrol’s Compromised Access: The park provided a strategic point for Border Patrol operations, including a boat ramp and a staging area for migrant processing.
- Legal Disputes: This incident adds to ongoing legal disputes between Texas and the federal government over Texas’ border policies.
- Other Texas Actions Questioned: Texas’ use of buoys in the Rio Grande, installation of razor wire, and policies for police to arrest migrants have sparked controversy.
- Internal Criticism: The state’s border policies have faced internal criticism, including a report about a trooper denying water and medical care to migrants.
The Associated Press has the story:
Texas is blocking US border agents from patrols, Biden admin tells Supreme Court
Newslooks- McALLEN, Texas (AP) —
The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over immigration enforcement.
The request comes after Texas put up fencing to take control of a nearly 50-acre (20-hectare) public park in Eagle Pass, which was a crossing point for thousands of migrants entering from Mexico last year.
“Because Border Patrol can no longer access or view this stretch of the border, Texas has effectively prevented Border Patrol from monitoring the border,” the Justice Department wrote in a filing.
Abbott told reporters Friday that Texas has the authority to control access to any geographic location in the state.
“That authority is being asserted,” Abbott said.
The changes happened Wednesday when the Department of Public Safety informed the Eagle Pass government that the state would be closing public access to the park. The move was an escalation from the governor’s border enforcement efforts known as Operation Lone Star.
Concern grew when Border Patrol noted it, too, lost access to the park, which has a boat ramp that agents use to launch their boats into the Rio Grande. The area also served as a staging area where federal officers would take migrants into custody and process them. The Border Patrol’s access to the site for surveillance was similarly curtailed.
The state and federal government are involved in other legal disputes over actions Texas has taken since 2023, including the use of buoys in the middle of the international river, the installment of razor wire, and an upcoming law that will allow police to arrest migrants.
The state’s policies have been called into question not only by outside critics but internally when a trooper’s account over denying water and urgent medical care made headlines in July.
