Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) deployed his latest effort to defend the border from unchecked illegal crossings only to be promptly met with outrage and a lawsuit.
Having already been met with backlash over trying to send aliens on their way to the progressive havens that purport to be sanctuary cities, the executive’s attempt to prevent access to Texas, and therefore the United States is being treated as unlawful and allegedly causing “irreparable harm” to one local business.
After having announced the plan to install a floating barrier in the Rio Grande where the river forms a natural border between Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas, the newest measure in Operation Lone Star began Friday under the direction of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“New marine barrier installation on the Rio Grande begins today. Texas DPS is overseeing the project in Eagle Pass. More to come,” the governor captioned a video showing truckloads of the buoys that will include netting to prevent aliens from swimming below and designed to deter crossing where four people had reportedly drowned recently.
New marine barrier installation on the Rio Grande begins today.
Texas DPS is overseeing the project in Eagle Pass.
More to come. pic.twitter.com/nHrTqUG7Fi
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2023
Within hours, local business owner Jessie Fuentes of Epi’s Canoe & Kayak Team had filed suit, according to The Hill, as the filling contended his river tours were being impacted by the installations.
“A plain reading of the [disaster declaration] reveals as a matter of law that this statute cannot be used to regulate the Texas-Mexico border because none of its definitions address immigrants, the border, or crimes committed by immigrants,” the suit filed in Austin, Texas alleged claiming Fuentes had suffered “imminent and irreparable harm.”
“The definition of disaster cannot be read so broadly to allow Governor Abbott to create his own border patrol agency to regulate the border and prevent immigrants from entering Texas by installing a buoy system in the Rio Grande,” it further stated.
Along with the document, Fuentes’ attorney Carlos Flores issued a statement that argued “The Governor proclaims to support law and order, yet he initiated Operation Lone Star without legal authority and seeks to install buoys to score political points without a legitimate public policy objective.”
Additional protests stemmed from the federal International Boundary and Water Commission which claimed not to have received a heads up about the floating barrier. Spokesperson Frank Fisher said, “We are studying what Texas is publicly proposing to determine whether and how this impacts our mission to carry out treaties between the US and Mexico regarding border delineation, flood control, and water distribution, which includes the Rio Grande.”
Fuentes had taken a similar tact in stating, “I know it’s a detriment to the river flow, to the ecology of the river, to the fauna and flora. Every aspect of nature is being affected when you put something that doesn’t belong in the river.”
Abbott had argued, “This strategy will proactively prevent illegal crossings between ports of entry by making it more difficult to cross the Rio Grande and reach the Texas side of the southern border,” and added in reaction to the suit, “We will see you in court. And don’t think the Travis Co. Court will be the end of it. This is going to the Supreme Court. Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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