Texas's standoff with the Biden administration over razor wire at Eagle Pass

Texas began rolling out the buoys in July 2023, an escalation of Abbott's border operation,^[1] and Mexico protested in a diplomatic note.^[6] The Justice Department told Texas the barrier violated federal law and sued after Abbott refused to remove it.^[3][7][8] A federal judge ordered the buoys removed,^[9] and a panel of the 5th Circuit appeals court agreed in December,^[10] but Texas ultimately prevailed and added more buoys in November 2024 after the administration's suit failed.^[11]

The razor wire brought a second fight. Texas sued in October 2023 to stop Border Patrol agents from cutting it,^[12] and a federal judge ordered them not to interfere except in medical emergencies.^[13] In January 2024 the Eagle Pass mayor said state troopers had closed a large public park along the river,^[14] and the drowning of a woman and two children nearby deepened the dispute over who controlled that stretch of the border.^[15] On January 22 the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to let Border Patrol cut the wire,^[4][16] and Republican governors sent National Guard troops to support Texas.^[17] In November 2024 the 5th Circuit ruled that Border Patrol could not cut the wire.^[2]