Greg Abbott Defiant After Texas Border Law Blow

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has reacted with defiance after a federal appeals court ruling put Senate Bill 4, Texas state legislation designed to tackle illegal immigration, on hold in a ruling on March 19.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Abbott vowed to "continue fighting Pres. Biden's deadly border crisis" and said Texan authorities would continue constructing a border wall and using razor wire and river buoys to discourage irregular migration.

Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law in December, with the legislation allowing Texan law enforcement to arrest and deport migrants suspected of being in the country illegally—a controversial move, as this has traditionally been seen as a federal responsibility. The legislation also extended Operation Lone Star, a multiagency border-security program that Abbott introduced in March 2021, and which has seen the deployment of thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers.

In February, Senate Bill 4 was blocked by a federal judge following legal action from the Biden administration. Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 judgment that the bill could take effect. However, later that same day, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put the legislation back on hold in a 2-1 ruling, pending an appeal to the federal judge's initial ruling.

As the legal battle continues, Abbott vowed in a succession of X posts Wednesday to continue his current policies designed to reduce irregular migration.

In one post, the governor wrote: "While the fight continues in court to uphold SB4, Texas continues to arrest illegal immigrants for criminal trespass.

"More than 41,000 criminal arrests have been made. We continue to build border wall, use NG [National Guard] to erect razor wire to repel migrants & keep buoy barriers in river."

Texan authorities have installed large orange buoys in the Rio Grande in a bid to obstruct migrants crossing the river from Mexico into the United States. In August, close-up shots of some of the buoys showed they were separated with large chunks of sharp metal, which were compared to saws, sparking controversy.

On March 21, Abbott posted photos of a petition being presented to him in support of Operation Lone Star by "over 100 sheriffs" from across the state. The governor added: "Your partnership is critical as we continue fighting Pres. Biden's deadly border crisis to protect Texas—and America."

Newsweek contacted the White House press office for comment by email outside normal working hours.

In a third post, Abbott shared a photograph of two men in camouflage, who appear to be National Guard soldiers, inspecting a razor-wire fence.

He wrote: "No one is allowed to pass. Thanks to the Texas Military Department and Texas Department of Public Safety for securing the border 24/7."

During a March 18 appearance on the Fox News show Fox & Friends, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said "criminals" and "terrorists" were entering the state along its southern border ahead of the Supreme Court decision.

He said, "To the Supreme Court justices who are watching Fox I'm sure this morning as they get up early, we are being attacked ... by land, by sea, by air, literally millions coming across the border, many armed, many criminals, terrorists."

On March 9, migrant-rights activists protested outside the Texas Capitol in Austin against Senate Bill 4, which some suggested would target Latino migrants whether they were in the U.S. legally or illegally.

Speaking to KFOX, Alan Lizarraga, the communications coordinator for Border Network for Human Rights, said, "I think people overall in the border region—possibly throughout the whole Texas border region—need to be aware of what this law really is, what the power that is going to give officers, and most importantly to know that they have rights."