A family navigates the bank of the Rio Grande past razor wire while searching for an entry point into the United States from Mexico, in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 30, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Alia Moses in Del Rio, Texas barred the Biden administration from cutting or removing the wire until at least Nov. 13, as she considers a lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, accusing the U.S. government of illegally destroying state property.
The concertina wire fencing was installed on private property by the Texas National Guard as part of Operation Lone Star, an initiative launched by Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2021 aimed at deterring illegal border crossings.
Texas, meanwhile, is separately defending its authority to install floating buoys in the middle of the Rio Grande to deter migrants.
A federal judge at the Biden administration's request in September ordered the 1,000-foot (305-meter) barrier removed, but an appeals court allowed it to remain in place temporarily while Paxton's office pursues an appeal.
Persons:
Adrees Latif, Alia Moses, Biden, Ken Paxton, Moses, Paxton, George W, Bush, Greg Abbott, Daniel Wiessner, Alexia Garamfalvi, David Gregorio Our
Organizations:
REUTERS, Texas, U.S, Republican, State of, U.S . Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, Texas National Guard, Lone Star, Republican Texas, Customs, Border Protection, Biden, Thomson
Locations:
Rio, United States, Mexico, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Del Rio , Texas, State of Texas, . Texas, Albany , New York