The Department of Justice is suing the state of Texas and Governor Greg Abbott for the construction of an inhumane floating barrier that the state placed on the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing the border.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Austin on Monday, alleges that Abbott violated the law by building structures in the Rio Grande River without authorization, creating an obstruction in U.S. waters.
In a letter sent by the DOJ earlier this week, the department stated “The State of Texas’s actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, present serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may interfere with the federal government’s ability to carry out its official duties,” citing a clause in the law that “prohibits the creation of any obstruction to the navigable capacity of waters of the United States, and further prohibits building any structure in such waters without authorization from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.”
The lawsuit asks a court to force Texas to remove a roughly 1,000-foot line of bright orange buoys that the Biden administration says raises humanitarian and environmental concerns.
On Friday, House Democrats urged President Biden to stop Texas from deploying the buoy wall and sharp razor wire in the Rio Grande. They described the Texas border measures as "death traps" for migrants. Beto O’Rourke joined in saying the Texas Governor has “Blood on his hands” and encouraged the federal government to take action to stop Abbott. Mexico’s secretary of state also asked the federal government to intervene, saying the barrier violates international treaties.
While this lawsuit is aimed at removing the floating barrier, a Justice Department spokesperson said last week that officials were also examining complaints that Texas state troopers were ordered to push children into the Rio Grande and deny water to migrants.
Florida and Texas have governors that are both trying to prove how cruel and inhumane they can be for immigrants, even refugees seeking asylum. It's a tough contest between the two of them. I hope that the Christians here in the US can see the inhumanity of these policies and vote for for candidates who actually have functional hearts.
TX & FL are trying to out Fascist each other. History will NOT be kind.