Biden administration asks Supreme Court to allow Border Patrol to cut or move razor wire at Texas border
The federal government is locked in a dispute with Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, which installed the wire in an effort to prevent illegal border crossings.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to allow federal Border Patrol agents to cut through or move razor wire Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a contentious effort by the state to prevent illegal border crossings.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in a court filing that Border Patrol agents have authority under federal law to access private land at the border and that Texas has no basis to thwart them from carrying out their duties. The Biden administration says the wire prevents agents from reaching migrants who have already crossed over the border into the U.S.
The case arose when the administration of Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, a Republican, installed the razor wire near the Rio Grande river at Eagle Pass, Texas, as part of an operation to address illegal immigration that has brought the state into conflict with the Biden administration.
When Border Patrol agents cut through some of the razor wire, Texas sued, claiming the agents had trespassed and damaged state property.
A federal judge declined to impose an injunction against the federal government, but the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month ruled in favor of Texas, saying agents could not cut or move the wire unless there was a medical emergency.
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