A federal judge has ruled that Texas governor Greg Abbott violated federal laws in his fight to keep Mexicans out. Now, the Republican may be up a creek without a paddle. Here is the whole story.
Conflicting Immigration Policies
Texas has been locked in a feud with President Joe Biden over conflicting immigration policies almost from the moment he took office.
The Biden administration has consistently argued for diplomatic relations with Mexico and humane treatment of immigrants who come over the border illegally.
Biden has continued to slap down every effort Texas has made to build barriers to immigration, whether they be of the physical or red tape variety.
But that hasn’t stopped Texas governor Greg Abbott from getting creative in his attempts to stop the flow of Mexicans over the border and into his state.
One of Abbott’s most recent attempts to stop immigrants was the construction of a huge floating barrier in the middle of the Rio Grande.
Obstructing the Waterway
Resembling a huge necklace of giant orange balls strung together, the barrier makes it difficult for people to cross the river undetected. It at least slows them down and makes it pretty much impossible to lug any possessions along with them.
But it didn’t take long for the Biden administration to notice the 1000-foot barrier that also impedes any crafts that might be trying to move along the water.
The Justice Department quickly filed a civil suit claiming that the barrier violated the Rivers and Harbors Act. That law requires states to secure federal permission to obstruct a large waterway.
The Justice Department also wanted immediate action, so they filed a separate motion seeking an injunction to remove the barrier while a more formal court case can play out.
Violating Federal Law
On September 6, federal judge David Ezra granted that injunction and ordered the state to remove the barrier. They have until the 15th to get the job done.
But Ezra didn’t just issue a simple injunction. Instead, he explained that Abbott and the state actually did violate federal law by installing the barrier in the first place.
The judge also agreed with the Justice Department that the barrier was a danger to humans and posed an injury risk for immigrants who tried to get around or over it.
The real slap in the face to Abbott in all this is that Ezra was appointed to his position by Ronald Reagan. But if the governor thought his case was a slam dunk because of those Republican ties, he was sadly disappointed.
In fact, Ezra painted a dim picture for the future of the barrier, saying that the Justice Department was likely to win its court case against Texas.
A Tragedy Aboard the Migrant Bus
Abbott and his minions violated federal law, the judge said, and there’s not really any way around that.
The barrier and the legal action that followed are the latest developments in the never-ending immigration tussle between Abbott and Biden.
Texas has infamously bussed more than 30,000 Mexican immigrants to Democrat-controlled cities in the past 18 months.
This summer, a 3-year-old child on a bus headed for Chicago became the first, and so far only, death associated with the program.
Now, with the barrier on its way out of the Rio Grande, the orange monster won’t be claiming any victims of its own. For now, at least.
The post Governor Greg Abbott’s “Giant Orange Balls” Break Federal Law – Blocking Immigrant Crossings Had Unforeseen Consequences first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
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