Texas Scores ‘Major Victory’ Over Biden Administration

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in Texas’s favor, lifting an injunction that ordered the state to remove buoys it placed in the Rio Grande River to deter illegal border crossings.

The Biden Department of Justice brought a legal challenge against the Lone Star State last year for installing the buoys without federal authorization.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta claimed the floating barrier was a threat to navigation and presented a public safety concern. It also risked “damaging U.S. foreign policy” with Mexico over the country’s objection to the barrier.

In 2023, Texas deployed the buoys to address the historic levels of aliens attempting illegal, dangerous—and in some cases, deadly—river crossings. The Biden Administration then sued and demanded Texas remove the buoys and reopen the border. A federal district court granted the Biden Administration a preliminary injunction and ordered the buoys to be removed and a Fifth Circuit panel issued a split decision upholding the order. However, in January 2024, Attorney General Paxton secured an en banc rehearing before the Fifth Circuit.

The full court has now ruled that the district court’s flawed preliminary injunction misapplied the law and was an abuse of the lower court’s authority. The buoy barrier can remain in the river while proceedings continue at the district court level. (Texas Attorney General’s Office)

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