Joe Biden has been accused of "abandoning responsibility" over the migrant crisis as officials in Texas have told ranchers that they can install razor wire on private property in a bid to help end the migrant crisis.
Texas Border Czar Mike Banks told a packed room of ranchers on Wednesday that the state could install the deterrent on their behalf free of charge.
Republican Texas governor, Greg Abbott, has defended the decision, saying: “The truth of the matter is, what Texas is doing, is what Americans expect to be done.
“Americans expect the border to be secured. Because Joe Biden has abandoned that responsibility, Texas is stepping up,” he told Fox News.
Joe Biden has been accused of "abandoning responsibility" over the migrant crisis in Texas
Reuters/Getty
It comes after the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that border patrol agents can remove wire deployed by Texas at the border with Mexico.
Abbot instructed state troopers to install a long stretch of concertina wire along the Rio Grande River, near the border city of Eagle Pass.
The Biden administration has fought back against the installation of the wire, arguing that it could harm migrants.
Abbott has also authorised installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers to arrest migrants on trespassing charges.
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Texas National Guard installed razor wire around Shelby Park earlier this month
GettyThe city of Eagle Pass has become a major hot spot for migrants since Biden became President in 2021.
Last week, the Texas National Guard seized a park in the city which migrants would frequently travel through.
Shelby Park has been barricaded with razor-wire and Border Patrol agents have been kicked out of the green space by Abbott.
Now, instead of coming into contact with the state troopers, migrants have chosen to travel through private property in order to avoid the area.
Luis Valderrama, who owns a 400-acre ranch west of Eagle Pass, told The Daily Mail that he sees groups as large as 200 passing through his property every day.
Explaining the measures he has taken to deter migrants, he said: “I have an eight-foot fence and at the very top I have razor wire.”
However, he has turned down the state’s offer of installing more wire, as he believes all attempts are futile.
The US Supreme Court’s ruling against the wire comes after the Biden administration challenged a court order which blocked agents from removing the wire in Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frequently clash with Biden over the migrant crisis
Reuters
The move is the latest escalation in a rising conflict between President Joe Biden and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott over border policies.
Last year, Texan Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Biden’s administration to stop the wire cutting, stating that it illegally destroys state property and undermines security.
The razor wire was laid down by state troopers and National Guardsmen deployed by the state, in an operation that has so far cost more than $11billion.
Biden’s administration said the wire stops Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river.
However, Texas officials have argued that the administration has cut the wire in order to help people illegally cross the border.
In December 2023 alone, over 230,000 people crossed the US-Mexico border illegally, adding increasing pressure for US President Joe Biden.
On January 3, House Speaker Mike Johnson led a delegation of 64 Republicans to the southern border, who were calling for tougher border restrictions.
Speaking at a news conference about Biden’s national security proposal, which requests for $14billion in protecting the border, Johnson said: “If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin by defending America's national security.”