Another massive ruling from the Judicial branch has been handed down. This one is making waves.
Because a federal appeals court just overturned an immigration ruling that Trump never saw coming.
In June of 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott decided to put a 1,000-foot long buoy barrier system in the Rio Grande River to help deter illegal immigrants from trying to cross the river and make it into the state of Texas. This was a decision made for two major reasons.
First of all, the buoys would make it much more difficult for anyone trying to cross the dangerous river. But anyone who does try to cross the dangerous river might need a raft system to save their lives. This was a humanitarian decision made by the Abbott administration in Texas, but the Left can’t stand him making progress on the immigration issue. It makes them look bad.
The Biden administration vowed to take Abbott to court over this buoy system, arguing that the Abbott administration had no jurisdiction to put in these buoys. They followed through on their promise to sue Abbott and company, and at first the Abbott administration was ordered by the low Federal court to remove the buoy system from the Rio Grande. Donald Trump has criticized the Biden admin for a dereliction of duty and even treason with the way they’ve gone after Abbott’s Texas government. But the Abbott admin appealed to the higher courts and they’ve been handed a massive win against Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Texas Wins Legal Battle to Keep Floating Barriers in Rio Grande
In a significant legal victory, the Fifth Circuit Court ruled on Tuesday that Texas can continue using its floating barriers in the Rio Grande river to deter illegal immigration. This decision comes after a year-long legal struggle over the controversial barriers.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott first announced the installation of the floating line of buoys in June 2023. The announcement coincided with the signing of a series of border security bills, which allocated $5.1 billion in funding to the state amid an escalating border crisis.
“What we’re doing right now is securing the border, at the border,” Governor Abbott has said on the matter. “These buoys will prevent people from even reaching the border.”
By December 2023, the Biden administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ) had imposed a preliminary injunction on the barriers and filed a lawsuit against Abbott. However, the New Orleans court has now reversed that decision, allowing Texas to proceed with its border security measures along the river.
“We hold that the district court clearly erred in finding that the United States will likely prove that the barrier is in a navigable stretch of the Rio Grande,” wrote Judge Don R. Willett. “We cannot square the district court’s findings and conclusions with over a century’s worth of precedent.”
The barriers have been at the center of a legal battle for nearly a year. In January, the full circuit court agreed to review a decision by a panel of judges that had ruled 2-1 in favor of the DOJ, according to Bloomberg Law. Governor Abbott has consistently argued that the barriers are necessary to prevent migrants from risking their lives in the river, especially as the state has seen record numbers of crossings.
Court Overturns Order to Remove Texas Rio Grande Barrier
👉 Victory for Texas; border buoy barrier stays in place
⚠️ Environmental concerns remain unresolved
‼️ Tensions continue over migration control#TexasBorder #RioGrande @zerohedge https://t.co/3RqKggSeXX pic.twitter.com/1NIyljFF6B— ZeroHedge Notes (@ZeroHedgeNotes) July 31, 2024
This recent ruling comes just before the case is set to appear in front of the district court for its planned trial on August 6, Bloomberg Law reported. The outcome of the trial will further determine the future of Texas’ border security strategy.
Supreme Court Showdown Seemingly Inevitable For Abbott
It’s likely that Joe Biden and the Democrats are going to be appealing this decision from the appellate court all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and taking their chances there. We all know that sometimes conservative justices will go sideways and shock the nation with their decisions.
As for Greg Abbott, this is a major win for him. He’s spent a lot of time and money on this fight, and being able to point to a win for his Texas constituents was necessary after all this time.
Should the case make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, it is entirely likely Abbott would have the upper hand as this current Supreme Court bench has been quick to hand down conservative rulings on immigration-related cases. That being said, crazier things have happened.
Ultimately the American people just want to see real progress being made on illegal immigration being stymied and Greg Abbott has a major feather in his cap with this win.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
