Republicans are waging a new battle against the Biden administration over the razor wire installed by Governor Greg Abbott on the southern border between Texas and Mexico.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins introduced a new bill on Wednesday to ban the Department of Homeland Security from tearing down the wire installed by the state of Texas along the US-Mexico border.
The RAZOR Act, which restricts administrative zealots from committing looters, comes days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden administration by allowing them to remove the wire.
The Biden administration says the razor-strewn wire makes it difficult for them to reach migrants crawling along the riverbank on the U.S. side.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins introduced a new bill on Wednesday to ban the Department of Homeland Security from tearing down the wire installed by the state of Texas along the US-Mexico border.
The Supreme Court has allowed Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas had installed on the border, a victory for the Biden administration
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is out of the country in India when the SCOTUS ruling was made, but vowed to keep fighting to secure the border
The justices voted 5-4 to grant an emergency declaration from the Biden administration amid an escalating standoff with Abbott over whether the state or federal government has the authority to close the border at the hotspot of Eagle Pass, Texas, to secure.
Conservative-appointed Judges Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts sided with the liberal justices on this issue.
“The Biden administration has repeatedly cut the wire Texas had installed to stop illegal crossings, opening the floodgates to illegal immigrants,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris told DailyMail.com of the ruling.
“The absence of razor wire and other deterrent strategies encourages migrants to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry, while making the jobs of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers more dangerous and difficult.”
Some Republicans suggested that Abbott simply ignore the ruling.
“This opinion is unconscionable and Texas should ignore it on behalf of the (Border Patrol) agents who will be put in a worse position by the Biden administration’s opinions and policies,” wrote U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on X. .
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., expressed a similar sentiment: “My thoughts are that the FBI is orchestrating a civil war, and Texas needs to stand its ground.”
Federal officials say this is a critical part of the border where they often have to respond quickly to emergencies. Officials in Texas have largely stopped federal agents from patrolling the border there and instead, state troopers have stepped in to arrest people for crossing into the state of Texas.
Texas officials have insisted the ruling applies only to the wire and does not prevent them from exercising authority over the apprehension of migrants.
Abbott ordered the installation of miles of concertina wire in multiple areas of the Texas-Mexico border known as high-traffic areas for migrants entering the US.
Many of these migrants are asylum seekers who try to sneak into the country unnoticed.
After crossing the border illegally, they seek out U.S. Border Patrol agents so they can surrender to them and seek asylum.
Miles and several layers of wire are located in many cities and regions of the Texas-Mexico border – a border that is 1,254 miles long.
However, the SCOTUS ruling is based on an emergency appeal from the Biden administration following a dispute in Eagle Pass.
Under orders from Republican Governor Greg Abbott, Texas soldiers on January 10 surrounded Shelby Park with razor wire and other fencing, even though the land is owned by the City of Eagle Pass.
Abbott claimed the measure was intended to stem the historic number of illegal immigrants in Shelby Park in recent weeks.
The week before Christmas, more than 22,000 asylum-seeking migrants crossed the river that divides the U.S. from Mexico into Shelby Park to enter Eagle Pass, which has a population of just 28,000.
The influx strained resources and cost local taxpayers thousands of dollars a day.
It is unclear how effective the wire has been at keeping out migrants who usually climb over or crawl through it
The razor wire and other border barriers in Texas were added by the Texas National Guard
Migrants, including those with children, regularly pass through the wire
However, the feud escalated after Border Patrol agents alleged that Texas National Guard troops stopped them from entering state-controlled territory to help save a migrant woman and two children from drowning.
The state claimed that the migrants had already drowned when the Border Patrol was notified.
Biden’s Justice Department filed a request with the Supreme Court late Monday to force the state to grant Border Patrol agents access.
The razor wire is part of Abbott’s border security plan, known as Operation Lone Star.
Many of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star initiatives, launched in March 2021, have been controversial and have placed the Republican governor and White House over jurisdiction.
Abbott has also placed buoys in the Rio Grande as a deterrent, but these are also embroiled in a legal battle.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit to block a new law in Texas that gives state officials the power to essentially deport people suspected of crossing the border illegally.