View of a string of buoys placed on the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 15, 2023, to prevent illegal immigration entry to the US. The buoy installation is part of an operation Texas is pursuing to secure its borders.Photo: SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP / Getty Images
Governor Greg Abbott today defended Texas’ right to secure the border through the recent deployment of floating marine barriers in the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass as part of the state's unprecedented response to America’s ongoing border crisis. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the Governor counters threats by the U.S. Department of Justice to sue the state over the barriers by pointing out that the U.S. Constitution grants Texas sovereign authority to protect its borders because the President refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.
“If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws,” reads the letter. “By doing so, you can help me stop migrants from wagering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River. You can also help me save Texans, and indeed all Americans, from deadly drugs like fentanyl, cartel violence, and the horrors of human trafficking. To end the risk that migrants will be harmed crossing the border illegally, you must fully enforce the laws of the United States that prohibit illegal immigration between ports of entry. In the meantime, Texas will fully utilize its constitutional authority to deal with the crisis you have caused. Texas will see you in court, Mr. President.”
In addition to highlighting Texas’ right to defend its borders, Governor Abbott argues against claims that Texas’ floating marine barriers violate Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Governor Abbott also included a copy of the January 8, 2023 letter he hand-delivered to President Biden in El Paso and the November 16, 2022 letter to the President that outline America’s current immigration laws President Biden must enforce to satisfy his constitutional obligation to safeguard American citizens and the sovereign authority of states to protect their borders when the President refuses to do so.