Texas Fortifies Border with Mexico Amidst Continued Challenges in Migrant Deportation Efforts

Members of the Texas National Guard stand guard on the banks of the Rio Bravo river, as seen from Ciudad Juarez (Credit: Reuters)

Texas authorities were dealt a legal setback on Wednesday after an appeals court extended the blocking of SB4, its law allowing state law enforcement to arrest and deport migrants, while the litigation with the Justice Department continues.

However, the Greg Abbott administration is seeking to prevent migrants from entering its territory on different fronts, and a new report by the LA Times describes how it has turned a port of entry into a "militarized zone, fortified by rifle-toting soldiers, a fleet of Humvees and a forest of razor wire glistening in the desert sun."