Texas has won a court battle to prevent the Biden administration from cutting through barbed wire along the Rio Grande to stop illegal immigrants from entering the state.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an injunction, stating that the wire can only be cut in cases of medical emergency while the appeal is ongoing.
The court sided with Texas, asserting that the Biden administration should refrain from interfering with state property.
“The federal government has not only illegally destroyed property owned by the State of Texas; it has also disrupted the State’s border security efforts, leaving gaps in Texas’s border barriers and damaging Texas’s ability to effectively deter illegal entry into its territory,” the state said.
“The district court found that the Border Patrol exceeded its authority by cutting Texas’s c-wire fence for purposes other than a medical emergency, inspection, or detention. Moreover, the public interest supports clear protections for property rights from government intrusion and control,” the appeals court stated.
“The district court found Texas would suffer irreparable harm ‘in the form of loss of control and use of its private property.’ We see no error, clear or otherwise, in this finding,” they wrote.
The wire is part of Texas’ efforts to deter illegal immigration, with Governor Greg Abbott attributing the necessity of these measures to President Biden’s open-border policies.
“Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Abbott said.