Late last week, the Department of Justice informed the State that orange buoys placed near Eagle Pass, Texas, were illegally impeding river navigation and did not have federal permits. The Department stated that this floating barrier poses a risk to navigation and public safety on the Rio Grande and also poses humanitarian concerns.
In response to the Justice Department’s letter, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asserted that he had the authority to protect the state’s sovereign interests by installing the buoys. Abbott accused President Biden of failing to meet his responsibilities to stop the flow of migrants crossing the southern border with Mexico and called for federal immigration laws to be enforced to prevent migrants from endangering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande.
The White House, for its part, noted that the number of illegal crossings has decreased since new asylum rules were implemented. An administration official accused Republican officials of not wanting solutions and seeking chaos.
The state of Texas had installed a chain of buoys and barbed wire barriers in the river, but concerns were raised about the safety of the migrants, as some became trapped in the wire fence and had to be rescued. In addition, a leaked memo from US Customs and Border Protection indicated that the barbed wire fences interfered with the agency’s border patrol operations.
Before the Justice Department’s deadline for talks, Abbott released his letter and said Texas would face a federal lawsuit. The dispute over the floating buoys and booms reflects the tension between the federal government and the state of Texas regarding immigration and border policies.