Last week, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) publicly denounced the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Texas and Governor Gregg Abbott about the floating barrier in the Rio Grande River. On the Senate floor he told lawmakers that it was hypocritical of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the Border Czar, as they have not dealt with what he called a "humanitarian and public safety crisis they created."
“The administration filed suit over what it called ‘humanitarian concerns,’ which is more than a little ironic,” Cornyn said, according to a release on his website. “The hypocrisy of the Biden administration complaining about the state trying to do its best to deal with a vacuum when it comes to federal responsibility is absolutely ridiculous. If the president is unhappy with the actions Texas has taken, there is a clear solution: do your job."
A July 26 Houston Daily article cited CBS News, saying that the Department of Justice pursued legal action against Texas earlier this week saying the barrier broke a federal navigable waters law and also impeded federal law enforcement in apprehending migrants.
Houston Daily reported that Gov. Abbott remained undeterred in the face of looming litigation from the Biden administration, asserting in a July 24 letter to the president the Texas has a right to take action at the border with Mexico as laid out in the U.S. Constitution.
“Texas will see you in court, Mr. President,” Abbott, a Republican, said in the correspondence, the publication reported. The DOJ proceeded with filing the suit, CBS News reported.
Like Cornyn and fellow Republican Party legislators, Abbott blamed situation at the border on the White House. According to an Austin Journal report from Jan. 9, 2023, illegal immigration has been a source of anger and frustration for Abbott and his fellow Republicans toward the White House over the last two years. The White House’s lack of response to the crisis led to Gov. Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to bus migrants to what they referred to as "left-leaning areas."
Axios reported that on July 26 the federal government requested a federal judge to order Abbott to remove the barrier. The report said the DOJ claimed in court documents the floating barrier, which is made up of a string of buoys, has "caused significant and ongoing harm” to the country’s relationship with Mexico and has given Texas up to ten days to dismantle the barrier.