The tension between Texas governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration has been simmering for months. Over the weekend, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas slammed the governor's administration for what he perceives to be politicized immigration policy and the "unconscionable" management of asylum-seekers.
"This is the first time in my 20 to 22 years of government service that I see a state act in direct contravention of national interests, and in the service of what I would respectfully submit: politics" said Mayorkas of Texas.
On Monday, Abbott took things up another notch, by pledging to defy a federal directive which ordered the removal of barriers constructed on Fronton Island, a location in the Rio Grande between the U.S. and Mexico. Through a letter shared on the Texas Government's website, directed to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Abbott affirmed his refusal to comply with the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), which had instructed Texas to restore Fronton Island to its "pre-construction conditions."
"As Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of this State, I determined that Texas could not ignore an ongoing invasion of its sovereign territory," wrote Abbott. "Instead, on October 5, 2023, Texas responded to this threat by moving a 'heavily armed invasion force' onto Fronton Island to secure it against the transnational criminal cartels. I will not cede state land to transnational criminal cartels smuggling people, weapons, and drugs. Nor will I sit idly by as these threats endanger Texas law enforcement and Texas communities."
The dispute in question stems from Operation Lone Star, an initiative launched by Abbott in 2021 to curb illegal border crossings from Mexico into Texas. Under this program, the Texas National Guard and law enforcement have installed razor wire fencing, barriers, and buoys in the Rio Grande.
According to Abbott, the USIBWC, which oversees border management between the U.S. and Mexico, instructed the Texas General Land Office (GLO) on April 30 to remove sediment bridges, concertina wire, and cleared vegetation on Fronton Island. The agency raised concerns that these constructions could disrupt the Rio Grande's flow, potentially violating a 1970 treaty that defines the Rio Grande and Colorado River as the international boundary between the U.S. and Mexico.
In response, Abbott denied conducting any construction activities and asserted that Texas, not the federal government, owns the site in question and emphasized the threat posed by cartel activity on Fronton Island, citing instances where authorities discovered weapons, explosives, and improvised explosive devices. He was also defiant against the current administration's border policies:
"Meanwhile, your Administration made no secret of its willingness to ignore this
unchecked scourge of violence and crime within Texas's sovereign territory. Your
open-border policies have allowed an invasion at the southern border and incentivized criminal activity that threatens the lives of Texas law enforcement, soldiers, and citizens. Yet, in the wake of a crisis that it helped create, the federal government has refused to enforce federal laws—even in dangerous areas like Fronton Island"
In a post on X the governor doubled down on his stance concluding explaining that even though "the Biden-Harris Admin now demands that Fronton Island return to its prior condition. he had told them that "Texas will not comply."
For years, Fronton Island was overrun with violence.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 9, 2024
Texas secured it against the cartels.
The Biden-Harris Admin now demands that Fronton Island return to its prior condition.
Today, I told Biden & Harris that Texas will not comply.
Read more: https://t.co/q6FAhHaNPD pic.twitter.com/suXykeg3Eo
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