Texas The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Friday to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border where many migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another immigration enforcement showdown between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration.
The appeal comes after Texas fenced off a roughly 50-acre (20-hectare) public park along the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, a crossing site for thousands of Mexican migrants last year.
A similar power battle occurred in the same territory more than a year ago, but Texas' closure this week prevented federal officers from reaching a larger and more conspicuous crossing site.
The Justice Department filed a court motion alleging that armed Texas National Guard personnel and their trucks are blocking Border Patrol officers from entering the river. A Texas National Guard Humvee allegedly blocked Border Patrol officers from an access route.
In a petition, the Justice Department stated that Texas has blocked Border Patrol from monitoring the border because it cannot access or watch it.
Abbott told reporters Friday that Texas may limit access to any facility. “That authority is being asserted,” Abbott remarked.
Shelby Park's closure heightened the governor's Operation Lone Star border enforcement. Texas' usage of buoys in the international river, razor wire, and an anticipated law allowing police to detain migrants have led to many legal conflicts between the state and federal government since 2023.
Abbott justified shutting the park after Democrats criticized him for telling conservative radio personality Dana Loesch last week that Texas had done everything to stop illegal crossings short of murdering people. Loesch questioned Abbott how far Texas could go to the border before being arrested.