DOJ to sue Texas over border buoys
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera tells ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ that most agents are ‘proud’ of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border control efforts despite the legal action.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to Twitter on Sunday to taunt the Biden administration in a pair of tweets as he faces a lawsuit from the Department of Justice over the state’s effort to secure its international border with Mexico.
In one tweet, Abbott praised his border security for seizing more than 422 million deadly doses of fentanyl, which he claimed were able to cross the U.S.-Mexico border because of the president’s poor performance.
“Texas Has Seized More Than 422 Million Lethal Doses of Fentanyl Since 2021. More than enough to kill all Americans,” the Texas governor wrote. “We have also made 394,200 illegal-immigrant apprehensions and 31,300 criminal arrests. All because Biden is not doing his job.”
In another tweet, Abbott said Biden would “face the consequences” should the Department of Justice take the state of Texas to court. The DOJ previously said in a letter to Abbott that it intends to sue him over the use of a floating buoy border barrier to stop illegal immigration into the state.
DOJ TO SUE TEXAS OVER FLOATING BORDER BARRIER; ABBOTT SAYS ‘SEE YOU IN COURT’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference at the Texas State Capitol on June 8, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Abbott, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, released a statement on Friday highlighting the efforts of Operation Lone Star, a coordinated effort by border personnel to “secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.”
“Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 394,200 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 31,300 criminal arrests, with more than 29,100 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 422 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission,” the joint statement read.
The statement also highlighted the state’s efforts to send migrants who crossed the southern border to Democratic cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles.
In total, over 27,000 migrants have been sent to those cities.
“Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies,” the statement added.
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY BORDER IS IN CRISIS OR ‘MAJOR PROBLEM’: POLL
Texas is also staring down a legal bout with the Biden administration over its use of barriers erected at the border, which administration officials claim have created a dangerous path for potential migrants. Some border officials have recalled migrants suffering from cuts and lacerations as they crawled through barbed fencing.
Migrants walk by a string of buoys placed on the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 16, 2023. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division confirmed that the DOJ “sent a letter to the Texas Governor and Attorney General providing notice of our intent to pursue legal action related to unlawful construction of a floating barrier in the Rio Grande River, pursuant to section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, 33 U.S.C. § 403.”
The letter sets a July 24 deadline for a response from Abbott.
Abbott initially responded to the letter in a series of tweets on Friday, when he again blamed President Biden’s handling of the border crisis and unashamedly said Texas was “stepping up to address this crisis.”
“Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution,” he wrote. “We have sent the Biden Administration numerous letters detailing our authority, including the one I hand-delivered to President Biden earlier this year.”
ABBOTT MOVES AHEAD WITH FLOATING BORDER BARRIERS ON RIO GRANDE DESPITE LIBERAL OUTRAGE
“Texas is stepping up to address this crisis,” Gov. Abbott continued. “We will continue to deploy every strategy to protect Texans and Americans — and the migrants risking their lives. We will see you in court, Mr. President.”
On Sunday, Abbott doubled down, adding, “Under Biden’s policies the UN declared the U.S.-Mexico border the deadliest border crossing in [the] world. Biden must now face the consequences.”
The White House responded Friday, saying that Abbott is endangering the lives of migrants and agents with his actions, and accused him of undermining President Biden’s border plan.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw joined bill authors, sponsors, legislators and law enforcement members in the signing of bills designated toward enhancing border security along the southern border. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“President Biden’s plan to manage the border through deterrence, enforcement, and diplomacy after the Title 42 public health order lifted is working,” assistant press secretary Abdullah Hasan said in a statement.
Hasan also pointed to a drop in border encounters in June to levels not seen since February 2021.
“Unlawful border crossings are down to the lowest levels in over two years,” he said. “Governor Abbott’s dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining our effective border enforcement plan and making it hard for CBP to do their jobs of securing the border. The governor’s actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger.”
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“The Department of Justice made clear that it is prepared to take the governor to court if he doesn’t immediately remove the unlawful structures in the Rio Grande,” he said.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has also criticized Abbott over the new security measures.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
