Michael Karlis
Both Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott are being sued in federal court for deploying a buoy barrier into the Rio Grande in early July.
In a recent social media post, the Republican governor revealed that he's now ordered razor wire installed on the Lone Star State's boundary with New Mexico.
"Our barrier around El Paso forced the migrants crossing illegally to enter into New Mexico. They then entered from there," Abbott posted on X, the online platform formerly Twitter, on Sunday. "To that end, we are building a barrier on the New Mexico border."
Abbott's office did not respond to request for comment.
The Texas National Guard's placement of razor wire along the border with New Mexico is just the latest political ploy as part of Abbott's multi-billion-dollar border crackdown, Operation Lone Star.Texas border wall construction continues along the border to deter illegal immigration.
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) October 13, 2023
Through #OperationLoneStar, Texas is stepping up to fill the dangerous gaps created by President Biden's border crisis.
Click below to read more ⬇️https://t.co/yx9jsoOBM4
New Mexico lawmakers, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, were quick to rebuke Abbott's militarization along the border with another U.S. state.
"We encourage Gov. Abbott to turn his attention away from a never-ending stream of political stunts and toward working in earnest for the people of the state he was elected to represent," a spokesperson from Grisham's office told the Santa Fe New Mexican in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat representing New Mexico's second district, was also critical of Abbott's latest ploy, calling for more cooperation between the two states, the New Mexican reports.
"I don't think putting concertina wire in the Texas section of the Rio Grande and New Mexico is really going to solve anything," Vasquez reportedly said during a virtual round table on Friday.
Operation Lone Star has cost Texas taxpayers an estimated $4.5 billion since April 2021, according to estimates. It's also faced a host of legal troubles.
Both Texas and Abbott are being sued in federal court for their decision to deploy a floating buoy barrier into the Rio Grande — a stunt that's drawn the ire of Democratic lawmakers, including San Antonio U.S Rep.Joaquin Castro.
"This operation isn't about border security," Castro told reporters in Eagle Pass this summer. "It's a political stunt designed to distract from the Abbott administration's failure to make progress on other issues that Texans care about, like health care, education, and economic development."
Despite the criticism and ongoing lawsuit, Abbott and his supporters don't appear to be pumping the brakes on Operation Lone Star.
Last week, the Republican-controlled Texas Senate passed a bill allowing state authorities to enforce federal immigration laws and detain migrants.
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