A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Texas to move a large floating barrier to the bank of the Rio Grande after protests from the the U.S. and Mexican governments over Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest tactic to stop migrants from crossing America’s southern border.
The decision by U.S. District Judge David Ezra is a victory for President Joe Biden’s administration, which sued after Texas put the wrecking ball-sized buoys on the water in early July as part of a sprawling border security mission known as Operation Lone Star. The judge said the state must move the barrier by Sept. 15.
The barrier threatens provisions of a treaty between U.S. and Mexico, wrote Ezra, who also cast doubt on its effectiveness.
I’m all about “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” but I think it’s a mistake to assume the “strong border” people’s motivation is hatred. Some people will hate, but, living around plenty of the people who support it, it’s clear to me that selfishness, fear, and ignorance are far more common elements.