After the Justice Department sued Texas and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in opposition of a floating barrier put in place in the Rio Grande to thwart migrant crossings, Abbott responded Monday night in a Fox News interview by defending its legality. “It is in the public interest for the state of Texas to be safeguarding and securing our border from people entering the United States illegally,” Abbott told Special Report anchor Bret Baier, claiming also that the barrier does not violate the Rivers and Harbors Act, as the federal government alleges. Abbott reiterated what he had written in a letter to President Biden, saying he welcomed a court battle and was intent on taking the matter to the Supreme Court if necessary. In a strongly worded tweet on Monday, Abbott criticized the administration on the topic of immigration, writing, “If President Biden truly cared about human life, he would enforce federal immigration laws.” The back-and-forth comes after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper alleged that they received “inhumane” orders to try to prevent border crossings, including pushing children into the river and denying asylum seekers water in extreme heat.
