NEW ORLEANS (AP) In the town of Eagle Pass, Texas, which has been the focal point of the state’s vigorous efforts to stop migrant crossings, a federal appeals court decided on Wednesday that Border Patrol agents are not permitted to destroy razor wire that Texas put on the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a long-running dispute over immigration policy with the Biden administration, which has also attempted to remove floating barriers erected on the Rio Grande, Texas has won the case before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Over the past year, Texas has persisted in erecting razor wire along its approximately 1,200-mile (1,900-kilometer) border with Mexico. The court ruled 2-1 to give an injunction to prevent Border Patrol personnel from causing damage to the Eagle Pass fence.
In reaction to the decision, Republican Governor Greg Abbott wrote on the social media site X, “We continue adding more razor wire border barrier.”
An email requesting comment on Wednesday was not immediately answered by a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman.
The Justice Department has claimed that the barrier prevents the U.S. authorities from patrolling the border, including helping migrants in need, and that some migrants have been hurt by the razor wire. In the case, which was first filed last year, Texas said that the federal government was sabotaging the state’s efforts to secure its border by removing the razor wire.
The decision was made before Donald Trump, the president-elect, took office again and promised to crack down on immigration. A Texas official volunteered to use a piece of rural ranchland along the U.S.-Mexico border as a staging ground for possible mass deportations earlier this month.
From a record high in December, arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border have decreased by 40%. Mexican vigilance at railroad yards and highway checkpoints is primarily credited by U.S. officials.
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