DOJ: Texas’ buoy barrier is straining U.S.-Mexico relations

Mexican officials are doing everything they can to take control of the Rio Grande River away from Texas. The country has filed formal protests at the highest diplomatic levels and canceled a previously scheduled meeting about other matters because of the presence of the buoy barrier in the river. Mexico says it violates treaties between the U.S. and Mexico.

There are new filings in the DOJ’s lawsuit against Governor Greg Abbott. DOJ is kowtowing to Mexican demands that the buoy barrier be removed. DOJ should be demanding that Mexican officials stop their citizens and others who cross the river from the Mexican border but that would be assuming that Mexico was an honest broker and is working with the United States to secure the southern border. Mexico is not. And, the Biden administration has no desire to close the border.

On Wednesday, tensions were high over the buoy barrier during a meeting in Ciudad Juarez that was supposed to highlight U.S.-Mexico cooperation on other issues.

Why is Mexico allowed to make demands about the Rio Grande River and how Texas controls its side of the border? Joe Biden is willfully negligent and Democrats don’t care. The Biden administration picks winners and losers. In this case, DOJ chose to side with Mexico against a governor of a red state.

“Deployment of the Floating Barrier is a source of diplomatic concern, and its continued presence is adversely affecting foreign policy,” Justice Department lawyers wrote.

The federal agency is demanding that Texas halt all construction of the barrier and is asking a judge to force the state to remove it until the case is resolved.

Unlike DOJ or Joe Biden, Governor Abbott doesn’t willingly back down when he is doing the right thing.

“Texas is stepping up as the fighter for the freedom and sovereignty of this country and we need the United States to step up and do its job,” Abbott said on “The Chris Salcedo Show.”

Oh, is Mexico upset? That’s a shame. Let’s remember that when Governor Abbott was running for re-election in November 2022, the Mexican president told Mexicans who live in Texas to not support Abbott. I assume he was speaking about legal residents in Texas, but who knows? Leftists don’t believe in sovereign borders. Joe Biden is one of them.

The Biden border crisis exists because Mexico won’t step up and stop the migrants at its border. This isn’t rocket science. The Mexican officials who now feign concern for migrants crossing the river deserve to be shut down. They encourage it by not stopping it. Texas is on its own. Texas taxpayers are picking up the tab.

The DOJ filed suit Monday against Governor Abbott. It argues the buoy barrier violates the federal Rivers and Harbors Act. Abbott didn’t seek permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before putting up the buoys. Abbott does not think the act applies to what Texas is doing to secure the border.

While the suit focuses on the Rivers and Harbors Act, the federal government explained at length in the new filings made Wednesday that the move is also eroding relations with Mexico.

Mexico’s delegation to the International Boundary and Water Commission, which manages treaties related to the river, has formally objected to the buoys and canceled a meeting planned for earlier this week to discuss other river flow issues.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar was at the meeting in Ciudad Juarez on Wednesday. He met with Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos. The two have been able to work together to dismantle several smuggling networks. However, Salazar saw fit to reassure Campos that the U.S. government did not support Abbott’s “illegal” actions with the buoys. Thanks, Ambassador. That’s a real show of strength right there.

A deputy secretary of state chimed in to say what Texas is doing is not legal and not humane.

“We don’t believe the deployment (of the buoys) has been legal, not humane, not effective, not environmentally sound,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma. “There are a lot of reasons for our court challenge … fundamentally it is not lawful. We’ll see how that plays out in our court system.”

Unbelievable. With fellow Americans like these, who needs enemies?