Texas to persist installing razor wire at border despite court order

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Fox News
30 Jan 2024 18:59
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"If they cut it, we will replace it," Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.

Concertina wire lines the path as members of Congress tour an area near the Texas-Mexico border, Jan. 3, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas (AP)

In an interview with Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum on Monday, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said that the state will continue to install razor wire along the US-Mexico border.

This happens as the Supreme Court's decided a week ago to grant the Biden administration the authority to dismantle razor wire intended to deter migrant crossings. Despite the legal ruling, Texas remains committed to increasing border security measures.

The Republican-led state has been advocating for federal assistance to enhance border security, framing it as a defense against a perceived border "invasion" amid a surge in migrant arrivals.

"We are putting up wire ... everywhere we can. We will continue. We will not stop. If they cut it, we will replace it," Patrick said

"If they cut it, we will replace it," he continued. "I was down there Friday with our troops to thank them, support them, and also to stand with them in the event the Biden administration did send Border Patrol there."

"Wisely, they did not. We're thankful they did not. We don't want a confrontation, but we want this border secure," he added.

While the Biden administration has not issued any comments to the media regarding the matter thus far, Texas officials have openly declared their intention to defy the Supreme Court's order.

Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) argued that Texas leaders have a responsibility to protect their constituents, a sentiment echoed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who stated in a post on X that the state's National Guard "continues to hold the line in Eagle Pass."

The Texas National Guard continues to hold the line in Eagle Pass.

Texas will not back down from our efforts to secure the border in Biden’s absence. pic.twitter.com/0IhF7x9b8X
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 23, 2024

Last Wednesday, the Texas Governor stressed the state's constitutional right to defend and protect itself in light of what he considered the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border.

"President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense," Abbot said in the statement.

"For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary," he added.