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Texas officials have doubled down on plans to put up more razor wire along the state's southern border.
The Supreme Court last month cleared the way for Border Patrol agents to cut or remove the concertina wire that Texas has put up along the banks of the Rio Grande to deter migrants from entering the U.S. illegally.
In January, Texas seized control of Shelby Park, a riverfront area in the border city of Eagle Pass that is one of the busiest locations for people attempting to cross into the U.S., and began denying entry to Border Patrol agents, escalating a feud with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement. The Justice Department argued the wire impedes the government's ability to patrol the border and go to the aid of migrants in need of help.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott has remained defiant despite the Supreme Court's ruling, declaring that Texas had a "constitutional right to self-defense." As the lawsuit over the wire continues, he said that more razor wire will be put up along the border.
Abbott and other officials on Friday announced that additional barriers will be put up in the coming weeks.
"In the coming weeks, we will also be expanding operations north and south of Eagle Pass, putting up additional barriers to fortify our border," Major General Thomas Suelzer, the leader of the Texas Military Department, said during a press conference on Friday.
Mike Banks, the state's border czar, said that after gaining control of Shelby Park, barriers would be put up in other areas.
"We've gained control of this area, now we're gonna maintain that control as we continue to expand those operations to bring that same level of reduction across the border in the state of Texas," Banks said, according to ABC7.
Newsweek has contacted the governor's office for comment via email.
On Friday, Abbott announced that Texas will build an operations base to house 1,800 National Guard members in Eagle Pass.
He said the camp would "dramatically" improve living conditions for soldiers who are deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"This will increase the ability for a larger number of Texas military department personnel in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and more efficiently," he said.
Migrant crossings have recently fallen along the Texas border, which Abbott credited to the aggressive measures he has implemented. Crossings on the border in Texas totaled 68,260 in January, according to statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection—a massive drop from the 149,806 migrants who attempted to enter the country through the state in December.
"Our stiff resistance is educating cartels not to mess with Texas," Abbott wrote in response on social media. "Texas will continue erecting more barriers & target more arrests to better secure the border."
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About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more