THEY ARE MOST OFTEN UP AND
ABOUT. BACK TO YOU.
BACK TO YOU.
>>> MICHELLE, THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT HAS GIVEN THE STATE
OF TEXAS UNTIL TODAY TO COMMIT
TO REMOVING A CONTROVERSIAL
BARRIER ON THE RIO GRANDE RIVER
OR FACE LEGAL ACTION.
AT ISSUE, THIS 1000 WITH LONG
FLOATING BARRIER WAS DESIGNED
TO KEEP MIGRANTS FROM CROSSING
THE RIO GRANDE INTO THE UNITED
STATES.
OFFICIALS SAY IT VIOLATES
FEDERAL LAW AND POSES
HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS.
WE REACHED OUT TO GOVERNOR
ABBOTT FOR COMMENT THAT HE HAS
YET TO RESPOND.
JULIA AINSLIE JOINS US NOW FOR
MORE.
JULIA, WALK GOES THROUGH THE
DOJ'S ARGUMENT. WHAT LAWS ARE
BEING BROKEN?
>> Reporter: THEY SAY IT
VIOLATES THE RIVERS AND HARBORS
ACT AND CAN BE AN OBSTRUCTION
OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL DUTIES AND THEY SAID
THAT IT CAN ENDANGER PUBLIC
SAFETY.
IMMIGRATION IS A FEDERAL LAW
AND THEY ARE SAYING THIS IS
IMPEDING THEIR ABILITY TO SAFELY PROCESS MIGRANTS WHO
SAFELY PROCESS MIGRANTS WHO
WOULD TYPICALLY CROSS THE RIO
GRANDE, COME TO THEM IN PROCESS
THEY ARE.
REMEMBER, THEY ARE ALREADY
DEALING WITH BARBED WIRE AND
FENCING AND A LOT OF THE BORDER
BARRIERS LIKE TRUMP'S BORDER
WALL.
IT'S NOT LIKE THERE IS NOTHING
TO IMPEDE THEM BUT THE IDEA
THAT THIS PERSON IS IMPEDED IN
THE WATER.
PREVIOUSLY, MIGRANTS WOULD
CROSS THE RIO GRANDE AND BEFORE
THEY GET TO THE OTHER BARRIER,
THEY COULD BE PROCESSED AND
THEY COULD COME IN AND MAKE AN
ASYLUM CLAIM.
OTHERS WOULD BE DEEMED
INELIGIBLE AND PUT INTO REMOVAL
PROCEEDINGS.
THIS IS TO KEEP THEM FROM
GETTING ONTO U.S. LAND AT ALL
AND IT CAN BE INCREDIBLY
DANGEROUS IN THE US GOVERNMENT
THINKS THE BUOYS LEAD TO MORE
DROWNING.
>> MIGRATION ADVOCATES ALSO
OPPOSE THE USE OF THESE BUOYS.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST
CONCERNS THEY HAVE OUTLINED?
>> IN SHORT, DROWNING.
THE RIO GRANDE IS ALREADY SO
DANGEROUS.
WE SEE 300 DROWNINGS A YEAR, 300
OF THE NUMBERS AT THE BORDER
ARE GOING UP THE WATER LOOKS
VERY STILL ON TOP AND VERY
FIERCE UNDERCURRENTS BELOW.
SO THIS IS PUTTING YET ANOTHER BARRIER IN PLACE.
BARRIER IN PLACE.
MIGRANTS MIGHT BE ABLE TO THINK
THEY CAN GET OVER THESE BUOYS
AND INSTEAD, THEY ARE STUCK.
I SAW DPS EVEN CONSIDERING
GOING A STEP FURTHER BY PUTTING
SOME KIND OF NETTING OR WIRE
UNDERWATER AND INSTEAD, THEY
WENT WITH THESE BUOYS AND IT IS
KIND OF A SAFER ALTERNATIVE BUT
IT IS CLEAR FROM IMMIGRATION
ADVOCATES AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT THAT THEY ARE
WORRIED THIS COULD PUT A LOT
MORE LIVES AT RISK.
>>> THE GOVERNOR HAS UNTIL 2:00
TODAY TO COMMIT TO REMOVING THE
BUOYS BUT IT SEEMS LIKE HE HAS
NO INTENTION OF DOING THAT.
TEXAS HAS THE SOVEREIGN
AUTHORITY TO DEFEND OUR BORDER
UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND
THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION SO WHAT
HAPPENS?
WHAT IS LIKELY TO PLAY OUT?
>> Reporter: IT DOES LOOK LIKE
ABBOTT WANTS TO FIGHT.
HE WANTS TO SHOW AGAINST THE
DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION THAT
HE IS THE ONE THAT HAS THE
CHOPS TO COME OUT AND ENFORCE
IMMIGRATION LAW WHEREBY WON'T
AND I GOT TO READ SOME NUMBERS
TO THAT, JOE, WHICH SHOWS THAT
BORDER PATROL HAS STOPPED ABOUT
850,000 MIGRANTS IN THIS AREA
OVER THE SAME PERIOD WHERE THE
TEXAS BORDER, THE TROOPERS THAT
GOVERNOR ABBOTT SENT DOWN THER
, ABOUT 11,000 SO IT IS REALLY
A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
THEY ARE SPENDING A TON OF
MONEY ON THAT AND THEY ARE
GETTING A LOT OF NATIONAL
ATTENTION BUT WHETHER OR NOT
THEY ARE HAVING AN IMPACT ON
IMMIGRATION, IT SEEMS THAT THEY
ARE NOT.
WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THEY
ARE ACTUALLY DOING A LOT TO
DISSUADE MIGRATION, NUMBERS WISE.
WISE.
>>> LET'S BRING IN KATE GOLDMAN
TO BREAK THIS DOWN.
SHE IS AN ATTORNEY, AND
IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY BASED IN
TEXAS.
TAKE YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S OPERATION
MOSTAR HAS A LEGAL CHALLENGE
SINCE IT WAS LAUNCHED BACK IN
2021 BUT THE LATEST BEING A BIG
DIFFERENCE PARTICULARLY BECAUSE
ALLEGATIONS OF INHUMANE
TREATMENT HAVE NOW COME FROM A
TEXAS DPS OFFICER INVOLVED IN
THE IMPLEMENTATION.
EXPLAIN TO US HOW TODAY'S LEGAL
CHALLENGES MIGHT BE A BIT
DIFFERENT THAN THOSE WE HAVE
SEEN IN THE PAST BACK WHEN THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
INVESTIGATED A LEGEND CIVIL
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN JULY OF
2022.
>> SURE.
IT IS PRETTY RARE TO SEE THE
DOJ STEP IN THE WAY THAT THEY
ARE, RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE SEEN ABBOTT BUZZ
MIGRANTS TO OTHER STATES AND
LAUNCH OPERATION MOSTAR WHICH
THE PREVIOUS HAS BEEN A DROP IN
THE BUCKET IN TERMS OF BORDER
ENFORCEMENT. AND YET, HAS SPENT
OVER $10 MILLION OF TAXPAYER
MONEY. THE DOJ IS STEPPING IN
AND LOUDLY ANNOUNCING THAT THEY
INTEND TO DO THE STATE OF
TEXAS, THE DEPARTURE FROM THE
NORM AND I THINK THAT IS A
RESPONSE TO HOW EGREGIOUS THESE
VIOLATIONS ARE ON ALL LEVELS,
ON THE LEGAL LEVEL BECAUSE IT
IS NOT WITHIN THE STATE
JURISDICTION, ON THE
HUMANITARIAN LEVEL BECAUSE
THESE ARE DROWNINGS AND ON THE
ENVIRONMENTAL LEVEL BECAUSE
THIS WILL HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THAT IS
WHY MEXICO IS STEPPING IN, AS
WELL.
THIS IS A STEP FURTHER THAN WE
HAVE SEEN AND IT IS REALLY EGREGIOUS.
EGREGIOUS.
>> YOU MENTIONED MEXICAN
OFFICIALS STEP AGAIN.
THEY ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST
THIS MOVIE BORDER, IF YOU WILL.
HOW MUCH CAN THEY BE INVOLVED
HERE IN TERMS OF THE WATER
AREA?
JULIA AINSLIE WAS REPORTING HOW
THE GOAL IS TO KEEP MIGRANTS
FROM EVER STEPPING FOOT ON U.S.
LAND.
WHO CONTROLS THAT WATER AREA?
>>> BOTH COUNTRIES DO AND THERE
ARE INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
LAYING OUT HOW THAT WILL
FUNCTION AND WHEN THERE IS AN
INTERNATIONAL TREATY BETWEEN
TWO NATIONS, IT IS THE
GOVERNMENT OF THOSE NATIONS
THAT WILL DECIDE WHAT OCCURS,
NOT ONE SINGLE STATE WITHIN ONE
OF THOSE NATIONS.
AND THAT IS WHY THE GOVERNMENT
OF MEXICO, THE SECRETARY HAS
SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, THIS
VIOLATES OUR INTERNATIONAL
TREATY AND IT IS GOING TO CAUSE
FLOODING.
ARE NOT GOING TO CAUSE FLOODING
BUT WHEN THERE IS FLOODING, IT
WILL CAUSE ISSUES FOR THE
GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO.
SO WE ARE SEEING BOTH
GOVERNMENTS, THE U.S. AND THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT STEP IN AND
MEXICAN GOVERNMENT STEP IN AND
SAY ABBOTT, YOU STEPPED BEYOND
THE LINE.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE SEEING
ABBOTT RESPONDED BY SAYING, WE
WILL TAKE IT TO COURT AND AT
THE END OF THE DAY, THERE IS