Southwest
Abbott sends Biden message on 'sovereign authority' as Texas National Guard reinforces border razor fencing
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday highlighted how Texas is reinforcing barriers in a key border crossing area and pledged to exercise its “sovereign authority” amid an ongoing months-long legal fight with the Biden administration over enforcement.
Abbott posted an image of Texas National Guard personnel reinforcing border barriers, including razor wire, in El Paso, Texas, which is an area that has seen a number of migrant surges in recent weeks.
“Texas National Guard soldiers continue to reinforce border barriers in El Paso to deter and repel illegal crossings,” he said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
Texas National Guardsmen fortify razor wire in El Paso, Texas. (Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office)
“Texas will exercise our sovereign authority to protect our southern border – and our nation – because President Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.”
Texas, as part of Operation Lone Star, has set up razor wire and other barriers along the border in an effort to curb the historic surge of illegal migration in the area since 2021.
The wire has become a point of contention between Texas and the Biden administration. Texas sued the administration after federal officials cut the wire in order to be able to apprehend migrants who were technically already in the U.S.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: CROWDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CUT RAZOR WIRE, RUSH ACROSS BORDER INTO TEXAS
Earlier this year, Texas seized Shelby Park, a key staging ground in Eagle Pass, and continued reinforcing the razor wire and other barriers. The administration has since sued Texas over an anti-illegal immigration bill that would allow local police to arrest illegal immigrants and would allow judges to order them deported. The Biden administration says Texas’ actions interfere with federal enforcement, while Texas says it needs to act in the face of inaction over the border crisis from the federal government.
“Whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the dead of winter, installing razor wire to make Border Patrol’s job more dangerous, promoting extreme and unconstitutional laws like S.B. 4, or his latest actions in Eagle Pass, Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border,” the White House said in a statement during the Shelby Park incident.
The administration has also rejected claims that it is not enforcing federal immigration law and has pointed to nearly 600,000 removals or returns since May 2023, which it says exceeds every full fiscal year since 2012.
As that standoff continues, there have been a number of rushing incidents in El Paso, including one last month in which a large group broke through the razor wire. Texas authorities have since charged hundreds with rioting charges and some others with assault and criminal trespass.
Fox obtained video last week of crowds of migrants cutting the wire in El Paso and surging through a gap in the wire. At one point, the Texas forces intervene and push the migrants back.
“Back the f— up, get the f— off of here, back the f— up,” a soldier yells at them. “Get the hell out of here.”
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took aim at Texas’ use of razor wire last week, doubling down on the claim it hurts Border Patrol’s job.
“We do not consider concertina wire to be effective. It impairs Customs and Border Protection’s ability to do its job, and we’re also seeing migrants rather easily cutting concertina wire,” Mayorkas told a group of reporters Friday, according to CBS News.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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