The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Texas on Monday over the state’s decision to curb illegal immigration with a floating buoy border barrier on the Rio Grande.
The DOJ first announced their intention to sue last week in a letter to Governor Greg Abbott. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Western District of Texas on Monday afternoon.
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Migrants walk by a string of buoys placed on the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 16, 2023. The buoy installation is part of an operation Texas is pursuing to secure its borders, but activists and some legislators say Governor Greg Abbott is exceeding his authority. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
In the lawsuit, the DOJ claimed that the barrier obstructs “the navigable capacity of waters of the United States.” The department noted that Texas installed the barrier without permission from the federal government over whether it was safe for the public and the environment.
Migrants approach the site where workers are assembling large buoys used as a border barrier along the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. A Texas state trooper said Troopers have been ordered to push migrants back into the Rio Grande and deny them water. (AP/Eric Gay)
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“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,” the DOJ previously said in the letter, according to the Houston Chronicle.
This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for more updates.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
