The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal agents can remove razor wire that was recently put up by the state of Texas to deter illegal border crossings from Mexico.
Two conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, voted against Texas and American border sovereignty, according to The New York Times.
Roberts and Barrett sided with the court’s liberals, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
The 5-4 decision means federal authorities can remove roughly 30 miles of razor wire installed along the Rio Grande while the Supreme Court considers Texas’ case against the Biden administration.
A federal appeals court had previously blocked the administration from cutting the wire in most cases.
The razor wire was put in place to help Texas control its border with Mexico, which has been inundated by record numbers of illegal crossers.
The Biden administration argued the barrier endangered people entering the country illegally, while Texas said federal officials had cut through the wire at least 20 times simply to facilitate illegal border crossings.
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said in a statement that “the absence of razor wire and other deterrence strategies encourages migrants to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry.”
“This case is ongoing, and Governor Abbott will continue fighting to defend Texas’ property and its constitutional authority to secure the border,” Mahaleris added.
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Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin obtained a statement from the Border Patrol Union about the court’s decision.
“The Supreme Court’s decision today is going to undoubtedly encourage more illegal immigration,” the union said.
“The administration no doubt will say this is a win for border security, but if they sought rank and file input, they would be told this will do the exact opposite. Agents support what Texas was trying to accomplish in the absence of true border security policies from this administration.”
Numerous congressional Republicans blasted the decision online:
Under @POTUS, the federal government won’t protect our borders and states are prohibited from doing so.
Disgraceful.https://t.co/kirqRlVusa
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) January 22, 2024
It’s shocking to see how hard President Biden is working to keep the southern border open. This is a betrayal to every single American. https://t.co/QeNcEzEgEX
— Burgess Owens (@BurgessOwens) January 22, 2024
Outrageous!
The Constitution says the role of the federal government is to defend the states from invasion, but Secretary Mayorkas and his boss Joe Biden refuse to uphold the law and protect our country.
Now the Supreme Court says Texas cannot even defend itself! https://t.co/M0CVXTxiIm
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 22, 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also criticized the ruling, commenting, “What an upside down world.”
The Supreme Court is siding with the Biden administration against Texas by allowing the federal government to take down razor wire on the border.
Texas is trying to enforce our laws and uphold our sovereignty while the federal government is disregarding the law and ignoring its… pic.twitter.com/EqzY8OWlQ1
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 22, 2024
