The Mexican government has repeatedly expressed concern to the United States about the buoys that Texas has placed in the Rio Grande (or Grande) to deter migrants, and it could impact agreements between the two countries if the floating Barrier remains in place at this point, a US State Department official said in court on Tuesday.
The statement was intended to reinforce the federal government’s claim about the diplomatic risks posed by the wrecking ball-sized buoys that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved earlier this year as part of increasingly tough Republican measures to curb the flow of migrants across the border.
Federal Judge David Ezra returned no verdict after Tuesday’s hearing in Austin. At one point, Ezra said the question revolved around whether Abbott had the power to unilaterally try to stop what the governor has described as an “invasion” of the US southern border.
“Mexico is sensitive about sovereignty and doesn’t want to be seen as a junior partner of the United States,” said Hillary Quam, coordinator of U.S.-Mexico border affairs at the State Department.
According to Quam, in the short time the buoys have been in the water, “at the highest diplomatic level,” Mexico has raised concerns about the United States, which stretches about the length of a handful of football fields in one part of the river to the Texas city of Eagle Passport. Quam said infrastructure projects between the countries and Mexico’s water supply obligations to the United States could stall because of the barrier.
The hearing came days after Texas moved the barrier closer to US soil. During a trip to Eagle Pass Monday, Abbott said the barrier was moved “as a precautionary measure” after alleged allegations that it was diverted to the Mexican side of the river. He added that he didn’t know if the allegations were true.
Ezra questioned why Texas would have moved the barrier if it was already on the American side and if river currents caused the buoys to shift.
“If Texas was happy with the barrier’s location, they wouldn’t have done it,” Ezra said.
Ezra asked both sides to submit their closing arguments in writing by Friday as the Biden administration seeks an injunction ordering the buoys’ removal
