Border buoys will stay in place a bit longer, court of appeals says
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The floating barrier in the Rio Grande will stay in place a little longer, according to a court order issued Monday.
Last week, a judge ordered Texas to remove the so-called border buoys by Sept. 15 at the state's expense. It was an early victory for the Biden administration which filed a lawsuit against the buoys previously approved by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra found that Texas' buoys obstructed free navigation in the Rio Grande, in violation of a longstanding law governing waterways controlled by the federal government. Texas, he concluded, needed to obtain permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency, to place the barriers in the river.
Abbott's office responded to the judge's opinion, saying the ruling was incorrect, that Texas would file an appeal, and that the ruling would be overturned.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals paused Ezra's order on Monday, allowing the floating barrier to stay in place until the court hears oral arguments.
Abbott and other Texas officials have said the river barriers are designed to discourage migrants from attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully and unsafely.