The migrant crisis in the US is intensifying the conflict between Texas and the Biden administration
The US state of Texas has passed strict laws against illegal immigrants flowing from the country's southern borders and is installing barbed wire fences along the borders. This does not sit well with the federal government headed by Joe Biden. As a result, there are conflicts in the border area between the border service subordinate to the federal government and the National Guard subordinate to the state administration. Mohammad Davud Asadullah, analyst of Azon Global , took a look at this situation.
The Biden administration and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have clashed over immigration policy. The conflict has become more serious as Texas defies federal orders and installs more barbed wire along the US-Mexico border.
The basis of the conflict is the installation of barbed wire along the border area, aimed at stopping the crossing of the border by migrants. As the migrant crisis continues along the US southern border, the rift between state and country leadership is growing.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared asylum seeking by immigrants an "invasion" of his state and justified his takeover of federal border control.
At the core of the standoff between the Biden administration and Texas is a bipartisan immigration bill that Congress will debate this week. President Biden has stated that if the bill is supported, it will stop the entry of immigrants into the United States.
Another point of contention is that the Texas Border Patrol has refused to allow federal agents into the US- Mexico border, a major crossing point for migrants crossing the Mexico border illegally. This debate is exacerbated by illegal crossings and aggressive border measures by Texas, such as floating barriers on the Rio Grande.
Texas recently passed a new law allowing the arrest of immigrants on illegal entry charges, further straining relations with the Biden administration. The federal government has warned that it could take legal action against Texas if the state enforces the law, which allows the government to arrest, detain, prosecute and deport immigrants who enter the country illegally.
In response to these tensions, the Biden administration has threatened to sue Texas over SB4, one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in the US. This law empowers local authorities to detain and deport undocumented individuals.
Amid the ongoing dispute, Gov. Greg Abbott announced his opposition to the Biden administration's position and pledged to install additional barbed wire along the border. An intensification of the fight over control of the US-Mexico border could raise complex issues related to immigration policy and enforcement.
From January 2021 to December 2023, the US Border Patrol has intercepted 6.3 million illegal immigrants trying to cross the border. Of those, nearly 4 million, or about 58 percent, were partially in border sectors in Texas. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security estimates that 1.6 to 1.8 million illegal immigrants have safely entered the country without being apprehended by the Border Patrol.
Due to the increase in illegal border crossings, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, a statewide initiative to deploy the Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and other law enforcement officials to support border security. The Border Patrol and Texas agencies have had a history of disagreements.
To make matters worse, the Texas National Guard has deployed nearly 70,000 barbed wire fences along the border near Eagle Pass by October 2023. The border guards were unhappy with this, as it restricted their movement along the border, especially crossing the river bank. The Texas National Guard and DPS occasionally cut the wires to help or deport or release immigrants in danger, but the Border Patrol said the wires should be cut entirely, a dispute with Texas has sparked.
In September 2023, the Border Patrol, through the Texas National Guard, began cutting barbed wire installed in Eagle Pass, Texas. On October 24 , the state of Texas sued in federal court to stop the Border Patrol from cutting the wire. The court rejected this request . Texas then appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The court ordered the Border Patrol not to cut the wires except in an emergency.
After that, the situation calms down a bit. However, on January 10, the state of Texas will take over Shelby Park, which belongs to the city of Eagle Pass and is adjacent to the Rio Grande. The situation suddenly got out of control. The Texas National Guard then set up barricades around the park and barred Border Patrol agents from entering the park's facilities, including the boat ramp.
Twenty-five Republican governors released a joint statement supporting Governor Ebbott and his claim that Texas is being overrun by "illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists." Many people supported Ebbot 's statement.
Fatma Marouf , professor of law and director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M University School of Law, said, "This action by Texas has implications for the right to seek asylum and is very troubling."
"Our immigration laws guarantee the right to seek asylum for people fleeing persecution. Laying barbed wire is the opposite of what we are doing," he said.
Biden intends to close the border in order to direct more money to the Ukraine war and other foreign policy areas.
( https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/01/29/sizq-j29.html )
In a statement released by the White House late Friday, Rep . Joe Biden promised his Republican "colleagues" to completely "close" the US-Mexico border if Republicans help pass a $110 billion additional funding package.
The supplemental funding bill also provides $14.5 billion for Israel, $14 billion for border security and billions more for military aid to Taiwan and the US and other South Asian regimes against China.
Sen. James Lankford, one of the lead negotiators of the supplemental package for Republicans , outlined drastic changes to border policy in the proposed bipartisan Senate bill. He told Fox News Sunday :
"The bill aims to reduce daily illegal crossings to zero. There is no amnesty. This will increase the number of border guards and asylum officers. It will increase the number of detention centers so that we can arrest people more quickly and then deport them. "
Muhammad Dawood Asadullah
