The Department of Justice is contemplating legal action against Texas due to their recent controversial initiatives aimed at restricting immigration across the border. CNN and the Houston Chronicle reported on Friday that the Justice Department has sent a warning letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, expressing humanitarian concerns and asserting that these measures lacked authorization from the federal government. Texas has implemented floating orange buoys with nets beneath them in the Rio Grande River to impede migrants from swimming or wading across. Additionally, razor wire has been installed in certain areas to discourage undocumented immigrants from crossing.
Governor Abbott’s actions have sparked controversy. An internal email from the Texas Department of Public Safety, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, revealed that a state trooper encountered a woman experiencing a miscarriage who was trapped in the razor wire. The trooper was also instructed to push migrants who successfully crossed the river back into it.
CNN reports that the letter from the Department of Justice to Governor Abbott states, “The State of Texas’s actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, present serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may interfere with the federal government’s ability to carry out its official duties.” The department also highlighted that federal law prohibits obstructions in U.S. rivers without prior approval from the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed that a letter had been sent to Abbott, notifying him of their intent to pursue legal action regarding the unlawful construction of a floating barrier in the Rio Grande River.
When Governor Abbott introduced Operation Lone Star in June, he emphasized that its purpose was to prevent migrants from reaching Texas and subsequently turn them back. “We’re securing the border at the border,” declared Abbott at a press conference, adding that the buoys would prevent people from even reaching the border.
However, despite the implementation of these new obstacles, the number of Southwest border crossing encounters has decreased in the last five months compared to the same months in 2022, according to U.S Customs and Border Protection statistics. Migrant flows often follow seasonal patterns. Immigrant rights advocates have strongly criticized Operation Lone Star as inhumane. Bob Libal, a Texas consultant with Human Rights Watch, stated, “State troopers are deliberately pushing people toward razor wire, heat exhaustion, and dangerous river currents knowing that they will suffer, be injured, and die.”
Congress has also voiced concerns about these measures. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) released a letter signed by over 80 House Democrats, urging the Justice Department to take legal action to halt Texas’s actions. The letter cited the Department of Justice’s successful lawsuit against Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s makeshift border wall and noted that Texas had similarly failed to obtain permits before installing its barriers. The letter emphasized that “Operation Lone Star’s programs and policies, specifically the recent erection of razor wire or buoy walls, pose a huge danger to migrants and impede the ability of our border patrol offices to safely and humanely treat migrants, as well as to comply with relevant federal and international laws.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
