Razor wire along the Rio Grande placed to discourage migrant entrance from Mexico has been removed by state officials.
Border Report captured images of several large piles of worn barbed wire along the river, evidencing that the wire has been removed. The cameras also captured DPS vehicles and unmarked pickup trucks going up and down the stretch of the border without razor wire.
According to the Washington Examiner, the wire was temporarily removed because of maintenance. On Monday, the Texas Military Department posted a photo on X/Twitter of razor wire saying that Operation Lone Star engineers are reinforcing “existing barrier systems with triple strand c-wire along the Texas – Mexico border.”
The razor wire was erected last year in an attempt to reduce border crossings in the area, since then, the state and federal government had been arguing about the legality of the barrier. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can cut portions of the razor wire, however, Abbott has not complied with the order.
Last week, Abbott posted pictures of welders with a caption reading “Texas National Guard soldiers construct barriers that will be placed along the border in El Paso. Texas continues to use all possible strategies to deter & repel illegal entry into our state.”
As part of his plan to curb immigration, Abbott said he would build a wall on the border, but Republicans have expressed doubts that his plans would work, as it was reported the wall would take more than 30 years to be completed and would cost more than $20 billion, without counting maintenance expenses.
According to the Border Report, migrant encounters have been decreasing since Biden threatened to close the border if border agents encounter certain numbers of migrants any given week.
Juan Carlos Lopez Morales, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Juarez said the barrier shouldn’t have been there.
“It shouldn’t have been there. It’s inhumane treatment toward migrants,” Lopez told Border Report. “Now, to take it away, it should have been done from the start because it was not appropriate to treat migrants that way; some also will see it as an easy way to cross.”
He also suggested that the issue can not be solved with just a wall or a razor wire, and there is a need for a comprehensive, clear and humane solution.
The Texas government has been at odds with the Catholic Church for its humanitarian labor. Attorney General Ken Paxton tried to shut down a Catholic shelter helping migrants, but earlier this month a judge blocked the AG’s attempts and accused his office of “harassment.”