The Department of Justice (DOJ) will take legal action over Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to install a floating border barrier along the southern border, CNN reported Friday.
Abbott announced in early June that he would install a floating buoy barrier over the Rio Grande to stop illegal immigration to the state. The Justice Department sent Abbott a letter Thursday alleging violations of federal law. according to to CNN. (Related: Biden Immigration Chief Called to “Abolish” ICE, End Detention of Illegal Immigrants)
The letter said, “Texas’ actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, pose serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may impede the ability of the federal government to perform its official duties,” the letter said, citing portions of the law that “prohibit the creation of any obstruction to the ability to navigate in U.S. waters, and further prohibit the construction of any structure in such waters without authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”).” According to CNN.
Democratic Party The Mexican government, which suggested the buoys violated international water treaties, criticized Abbott crossing the barrier. Democratic Texas Congressman Veronica Escobar, representing the border city of El Paso, letter On July 13, it asked Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Anthony Brinken to investigate the floating barriers because of environmental and safety concerns.
In a recent statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, the Texas governor’s office hit back at Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s recent suggestion that Mexican-Americans should not vote for Mr. Abbott on the issue.
“As illegal immigrants from more than 150 countries flood the border from Mexico into Texas, President Lopez Obrador sits on the sidelines as Mexican drug cartels run rampant, profiting from the chaos of this border crisis to smuggle fentanyl and other deadly drugs,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Maharelis told DCNF.
Migrants walk between a series of buoys and concertina wires on the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, July 16, 2023. To prevent illegal entry into the United States. (Photo credit: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
In Abbott’s earlier announcement, Texas officials suggested the barrier would prevent risk. immigration Take pictures while crossing the river.
“We don’t want to continue to put ourselves at risk by encountering people traveling between ports of entry,” Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McCullough said in Abbott’s announcement.
“It’s very difficult to get through these because of the water and the buoyancy, and it’s very difficult to get through. Well, there are things you can do, but I won’t say exactly what to do and when, but there are ways to overcome them, but it takes a lot of effort, and it takes specialized skills and equipment,” added McLaw.
Neither the Justice Department nor Abbott’s office responded to DCNF’s requests for comment.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, non-partisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers capable of serving large audiences. All reissues must include our company logo, press byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
