Texas governor promises more barbed wire on US-Mexico border

The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, has challenged the United States Supreme Court by ordering the Texas National Guard to maintain the barbed wire it placed on the border with Mexico to deter the entry of migrants.

“Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself“, he argued this Thursday in an interview with Fox News, in which he accused the president of the United States, Democrat Joe Biden, of having “abdicated his responsibility” to protect the border.

For this reason, the Republican defended the installation of more “barriers” that prevent the entry of migrants, whom they consider “criminals”.

Last Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government so that it can remove the barbed wire that the Texas authorities placed on a stretch of the border in Eagle Pass to stop migrants.

The Administration of Biden alleges that the thorn barrier prevents federal Border Patrol agents from accessing the area and carrying out their duties.

In response to the high court’s decision, Abbott declared on Wednesday the existence of a “invasion” in Texas, which in his opinion gives his Government “the constitutional authority to defend” to the state.

In a statement, the governor assured that the Texas National Guard and the State Police will act “under this authority” for “protect the Texas border” and, according to local media, work continues to install more barbed wire.

The Texas National Guard has been patrolling the border for some time, which has caused friction with federal authorities.

On January 12, there was a peak of tension when federal agents accused Texas authorities of having prevented them from accessing the area to rescue a family of three migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande.

In addition to the placement of barbed wire and the deployment of the National Guard, Abbott has sent dozens of buses carrying migrants to Washington and several other Democratic-run cities as part of its confrontation with Biden’s policies.

He also installed a controversial buoy barrier in a stretch of the Rio Grande and promoted a law to criminalize migrants who cross the border irregularly, both measures highly criticized by the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.