Operation Lone Star was launched by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stop migrants and drugs from entering the United States. President Joe Biden responded to Abbott enacting Operation Lone Star by requesting Texas end the operation, but Texas did not comply to Biden’s wishes.
Texas passed an immigration law that allows other police agencies, including local Texas law enforcement, to arrest migrants. Biden then filed a lawsuit claiming Texas cannot act alone on immigration policies.
This has brought questions as to who has control over the Texas border: Texas or the federal government. According to CNN, after Biden sent authorities to stop Texas, “The dispute intensified on January 10, when Texas authorities effectively blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from a 2.5-mile area in Eagle Pass, which had seen a surge of migrant crossings.”
Seven days later, The Department of Homeland Security wanted Texas to stand down from the border, but Abbott refused.
In a 5-4 vote,x the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Border Patrol to take down the razor wire on the border that was placed by Abbott. Abbott counter-sued the federal government for the razor wire claiming it “illegally destroyed state property and undermined security,” CNN said. Texas put more razor wire up after it was taken down.
Homeland Security gave Texas another deadline to reopen the Shelby Park area that blocked Border Patrol from the border by Jan. 26.
In response to the Texas effort against the federal government, 26 State Attorney Generals have shown their support for the state. Stating in a letter, “Governor Abbot’s efforts to secure our border, and Attorney General Paxton’s work defending those efforts, must be supported rather than opposed. We are a nation of laws. And without a border, we would quickly cease to be a nation at all.”
