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Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that his state will not comply with an order from the Department of Justice to remove floating barriers from the Rio Grande River meant to deter migrants from illegally crossing into the United States.
"In a late-night letter sent to me last Thursday, your lawyers at the Department of Justice threatened to sue the State of Texas over the floating marine barriers we have deployed in the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass. Texas will see you in court, Mr. President," Abbott wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden.
Abbott defended the barriers and blamed the federal government for failing to address the flow of migrants across the southern border. He called on President Biden to enforce immigration laws that are already on the books.
"The fact is, if you would just enforce the immigration laws Congress already has on the books, America would not be suffering from your record-breaking level of illegal immigration," Abbott wrote.
Last week, the Department of Justice ordered Texas to remove the barriers and gave the state a deadline of Monday (July 24) at 2 p.m. ET to commit to removing them from the Rio Grande River. If Texas refused, the Justice Department said it would file a lawsuit to have the floating barriers removed.
"Governor Abbott's dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining that effective plan and making it hard for the men and women of Border Patrol to do their jobs of securing the border. The governor's actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger," White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said.