Biden Administration Sues Texas Over Floating Barriers Used to Deter Migrant Crossings

The Biden administration on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas over floating barriers that state officials have deployed in the middle of the Rio Grande, seeking to force the state to remove the buoys that federal officials argue have endangered migrants and Border Patrol agents alike.

The Justice Department’s nine-page lawsuit, filed in the federal district court in Austin, said Texas officials were required to request and obtain permission from the federal government before assembling the barriers, which were put in place earlier this month. The river buoys, the department argued, violate a long-standing federal law that governs structures in navigable waterways. The suit asked the court to direct Texas to remove the existing river buoys and to block the state from setting up similar barriers in the future.

“We allege that Texas has flouted federal law by installing a barrier in the Rio Grande without obtaining the required federal authorization,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement. “This floating barrier poses threats to navigation and public safety and presents humanitarian concerns. Additionally, the presence of the floating barrier has prompted diplomatic protests by Mexico and risks damaging U.S. foreign policy.”

Read the source article at CBS News