The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of the Biden administration in a dispute with Texas over the removal of razor wire that the state installed along some sections of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The court’s order, issued in a 5-4 vote, lifted an injunction by a lower court that had prevented Border Patrol agents from cutting or moving the wire unless there was a medical emergency.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, had deployed the razor wire near the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass as part of his Operation Lone Star, an initiative to deter illegal immigration and arrest migrants on trespassing charges. The Biden administration argued that the wire interfered with the agents’ ability to access and patrol the border, and that it posed a safety hazard for migrants and wildlife.
The Supreme Court’s decision came after three migrants drowned in a section of the Rio Grande that Texas had blocked with buoys, another measure that the Biden administration has challenged in court. A White House spokesperson said that Texas’ “political stunts” made it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs, and called for policy changes to address the “broken immigration system.”
The ruling is a major setback for Abbott, who has clashed with the Biden administration over border security and immigration enforcement. Abbott has accused the federal government of failing to secure the border and protect the state from the influx of migrants, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Abbott has also announced plans to build a state-funded border wall and to sue the Biden administration over its immigration policies.
The case is likely to continue in the lower courts, as Texas has claimed that the Border Patrol agents trespassed and damaged state property when they cut through the razor wire. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that he will "continue to fight for the safety and security of all Texans."
By Salam Bustanji
