A U.S. appeals court issued an order on Thursday temporarily ensuring that a barrier of floating buoys in the Rio Grande that was placed by Texas to discourage illegal crossings could stay in place while the court considered a full decision. The order, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, came a day after a federal judge had ordered Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to remove the barrier because it was an impediment to navigation on the river and a “threat to human life.” The U.S. Justice Department filed a suit in July that argued that the barrier violated a federal law that prohibits structures in navigable waterways without federal approval. Lawyers for Mr. Abbott and the state of Texas argued in court documents filed on Thursday that “a border-security disaster” had prompted the state to place the roughly 1,000-foot barrier in front of the U.S. banks of the river to prevent illegal crossings and that “no evidence showed the buoys ‘obstruct’ any navigable capacity of the river.”The state’s lawyers also said in their motion that a temporary stay was necessary because “Texas has clear constitutional authority to defend its territory against the invasion” of migrants and smuggled drugs.

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Persons: Greg Abbott, ”, Abbott Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, U.S . Justice Department Locations: Rio, Texas, U.S