Court order allows floating barrier between Texas and Mexico to remain for now

• Court Allows Floating Barrier in Texas
• Judge Foresees Threat for Migrants
• Biden Administration Challenges Border Measures

Last Thursday, September 7, a federal appeals court issued an order regarding the floating barrier installed by Texas.

Located in a section of the Rio Grande (also known as «Grande»), this order permits the barrier to remain in place for now.

This decision came just one day after a judge described the buoys as a potential threat to migrant safety.

He also noted that they posed a risk to US-Mexico relations.

Allow floating barrier

According to The Associated Press, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a stay on the ruling concerning the barrier.

This ruling would have mandated Texas to shift the buoys towards the riverbank by next week.

The barrier in question is situated near the border city of Eagle Pass, Texas, a state led by Governor Greg Abbott.

Abbott has enacted a series of stringent measures aiming to deter migrants from entering the United States.

Barrier failure suspension

The stay against the ruling on the buoys was issued by the appeals court located in New Orleans.

This permits the floating barrier to remain in the Rio Grande’s waters while the legal proceedings are ongoing.

According to the AP agency, this lawsuit was initiated by the Department of Justice in an uncommon move.

It marks a rare occasion where President Joe Biden’s administration has sought legal action against Texas’ border measures.

They seek to move the barrier

On Wednesday, September 6, Federal Judge David Ezra, based in Austin, issued an order demanding the relocation of the barrier.

This barrier, constructed using buoys, stretches approximately 1,000 feet from the river’s center to its shore.

Judge David Ezra characterized the buoys as a «threat to human life» and an impediment in the waterway.

Beyond the judge’s statements, the Mexican government has also voiced its objections against the barrier.

border security

The state of Texas sought a swift order to let the floating barrier stay in position.

In their appeal, they contended that the buoys guide migrants towards official ports of entry.

They further emphasized that since the buoys were installed, «no injuries attributable to them have been reported,» despite the discovery of a body nearby the previous month.

Texas officials noted initial information suggested the individual had drowned before nearing the barrier.

border crossings

The installation of the barrier in Texas was done by placing anchors in the river bed.

Eagle Pass lies within a Border Patrol sector that has logged the second-highest number of migrant crossings for the current fiscal year.

According to The Associated Press, the recorded figure stands at roughly 270,000 encounters.

However, this number is lower than that of the same period in the previous year.

Downward trend in crossovers

The United States federal government has stated that illegal border crossings have recently decreased.

This being after new immigration measures came into force last May.

This once pandemic-related asylum restrictions expired.

Despite this, the situation in border remains a topic of great importance and debate in USA.