Photo: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images
The government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), recognized this Wednesday the decision issued by a judge of the Federal Court for the Western District of Texas, which ordered the removal of a barrier of floating buoys placed in the Rio Grande , called the Rio Grande in the US, in the Eagle Pass area, by the Texas state government.
The @GobiernoMX, through the @SRE_mx, recognizes the decision issued by the Federal Court for the Western District in the US, in which it orders the removal of the installation of buoys placed within the Rio Grande in the Eagle Pass area, Texas.
We will keep an eye on the resolution…
– Foreign Relations (@SRE_mx) September 6, 2023
“We will remain attentive to the final resolution and we reiterate the urgency of definitively removing the buoys on our shared border; as well as the importance of respecting the Bilateral Treaty of 1944 and safeguarding the human rights of migrants,” the SRE said in a statement.
This Wednesday a federal judge in Texas ordered the state government to remove the buoy barrier installed on the Rio Grande, on the southern border of the United States, before September 15.
Judge David Ezra, of the Western District of Texas, said in his ruling that the barrier constitutes an “obstruction to the navigable capacity” of the Rio Grande and rebuked the state government of Republican Greg Abbott for not having requested federal authorization before installing it.
“Texas’ conduct irreparably harms public safety, navigation, and the operations of federal agency officials in and around the Rio Grande,” the judge stressed.
The ruling also prohibits Texas from re-installing buoys “or any type of structure” on the river, which is a victory for the Joe Biden government, which filed the initial lawsuit in court against the floating barrier.
During the trial, the Texas government defended the installation of the buoys, accusing the Democratic Administration of not defending the southern border against an “invasion”, for which he said he had been forced to take action on his own to “defend himself.”
Judge Ezra rejected this argument, stating that it is “shocking” since having that power would give the governor of Texas “more power than the president of the United States has.”
Ezra also found that the state government failed to provide “any type of credible evidence that the buoy barrier has significantly reduced” irregular migration across the Rio Grande and that it also it poses a “threat” to the lives of people trying to cross the border.
In early August, US authorities found two migrant bodies floating on the river near the buoys.
The controversial barrier is part of “Operation Lone Star”, a campaign launched by the government of Greg Abbott to address migration in the state and show its opposition to Biden’s policies.
The Mexican government repeatedly asked the US to remove the barrier, alleging that most of the buoys were in its territory.
The International Boundary and Water Commission, a binational entity, corroborated this statement in a report filed with the court, which concludes that the vast majority of the buoys were on the Mexican side.
With information from EFE
Keep reading:
– Judge ordered Texas government to remove floating buoy fence on Rio Grande
– Texas judge holds first hearing in lawsuit against buoy barrier on the Rio Grande
– AMLO celebrates that Greg Abbott has moved the buoys of the Rio Grande towards US territory.