Paxton sues Biden administration over "destruction" of border fence
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration for "destroying" concertina wire at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The lawsuit also names the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"), DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Border Patrol, and several other agencies and officials claiming they assisted and encouraged illegal border crossings by cutting and removing fencing designed to mitigate illegal migration.
"By cutting Texas's concertina wire, the federal government has not only illegally destroyed property owned by the State of Texas; it has also disrupted the State's border deterrence efforts, leaving gaps in Texas's border barriers and damaging Texas's ability to effectively deter illegal entry into Texas," the lawsuit states.
Paxton's lawsuit claims millions of illegal aliens and thousands of pounds of fentanyl entered the U.S. due to gaps left by the Biden administration's failure to secure the border.
The Attorney General also claims the act of cutting the barbed and razor wire is a violation of federal law and asks the United States District Court Western District Of Texas Del Rio Division to stop the administration from "continuing to destroy and damage private property."
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it is proceeding with the construction of new border barriers in South Texas, specifically in Starr County, part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley region. It marked an abrupt policy reversal for the president.
In September, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit against the floating barriers, or so-called border buoys, approved by Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas was ordered to remove the buoys; however, Abbott appealed the ruling and the order was paused.
