Biden administration asks Supreme Court for access to border section

The Justice Department told the high court on Friday that Texas authorities have been blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing part of the border. State authorities erected a fence around a nearly 50-acre public park in Eagle Pass. Thousands of migrants have crossed over from Mexico in recent months into Shelby Park. Border Patrol agents say they are now unable to access the area, and therefore cannot monitor that section of the border. Border Patrol units had also used the area to launch boat patrols of the Rio Grande and as a processing station for immigrants. Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said his city did not ask for or want authorities to take control of the park.

Why is Texas putting up a fence around this area? Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed National Guard troops and state police to areas of the border as a part of his Operation Lone Star initiative, launched in 2021. The initiative aims to crack down on illegal immigration and other illegal activities at the border, such as smuggling and human trafficking. The Biden administration has sued Texas for placing barbed wire along its border and placing buoys in the Rio Grande to deter illegal crossings.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about a rise in the number of unaccompanied minors at the border.