Appeals court orders Texas to remove buoy barrier on the Rio Grande border

Source: NBC News

Appeals court orders Texas to remove buoy barrier on the Rio Grande border

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to reverse a lower court’s finding that the floating barriers were illegal.

Dec. 1, 2023, 6:24 PM EST / Updated Dec. 1, 2023, 10:30 PM EST
By Zoë Richards

A federal appeals court on Friday ordered Texas to remove a floating barrier from the Rio Grande placed there under the direction of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to deter illegal migrant crossings.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a lower court's finding that the buoys were illegal.

Judge Dana M. Douglas, a Biden appointee, wrote that the lower court "considered the threat to navigation and federal government operations on the Rio Grande, as well as the potential threat to human life the floating barrier created.”

"The district court’s factual findings were not clearly erroneous," Douglas wrote.

Judge Don Willett, a Trump appointee, wrote the dissenting opinion.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/appeals-court-orders-texas-remove-buoy-barrier-rio-grande-border-rcna127711