Fleeing crises in their home countries, many people from Latin America are drawn to the USA. The governor of Texas wants to use buoys to prevent them from entering the country via the Rio Grande.
The US government has taken legal action against the state of Texas over a sensational measure against migrants. The Justice Department announced it had filed a civil lawsuit against the installation of a floating barrier on the Rio Grande River.
Conservative Republican Governor Greg Abbott had arranged for orange-red buoys the size of wrecking balls to be laid several hundred meters along the water border from Mexico to Texas, which is popular with migrants. This is to prevent people from swimming across the Rio Grande onto US territory.
White House intervenes
Prosecutor Vanita Gupta argued that the Texas government violated the law by not obtaining Washington’s approval for the barrier. In addition, this poses a threat to shipping and public safety and has led to a diplomatic protest note from the Mexican government.
The Ministry of Justice wants to use the lawsuit to have the buoys dismantled. The White House called Governor Abbott’s actions a “political stunt.” The Biden administration stressed that the number of illegal border crossings was the lowest in two years.
In view of the high number of immigrants, especially at the land border with Mexico, the government of US President Joe Biden had enacted numerous measures to counteract the influx. Migrants who want to go to the United States now have to book an appointment with the border authorities via an app. But only a limited number of dates are activated and many people report that the software is overloaded.
migration centers planned
The US government has also sent additional personnel to the border. At the end of April, the US government announced that it would open migration centers in Colombia and Guatemala, among other places, and move the initial registration of asylum seekers there. In this way, they want to “spare” people the often dangerous journey to the US border.
Since 2021, illegal crossings into US territory from Mexico had grown to as many as 250,000 per month. In June, that number was just under 145,000. The issue of migration is polarizing in the United States, with Republicans accusing the Biden government of having an “open-door policy.” Abbott and other politicians repeatedly draw attention to the situation with sometimes populist actions.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
