Over the past few years, the Texas National Guard and state officials have installed more than 160 miles of razor wire at some of the most important migrant crossing points along the southern border. The state, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the U.S. border with Mexico, has committed $10 million to construct and maintain these border barriers as part of Operation Lone Star, a massive multibillion-dollar border security operation. It cost far more than that.
This week, a federal appeals court ruled against the Biden administration's attempt to block Texas from continuing to erect a razor wire (also known as concertina or “C-wire”) wall along the border. This happened after U.S. Border Patrol agents under the Biden administration cut power lines along a 46-mile stretch of the Texas border in September 2023.
Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said, “Biden should be grateful to Texas and not hinder our efforts to secure our borders.”
“Joe Biden has completely abdicated his constitutional obligation to secure our border. In his absence, Texas built a wall, repelled illegal border crossings, and stepped up to protect our nation,” Abbott said. ” he said.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday announced the installation of inflatable barriers along the Rio Grande along with six bills he signed to strengthen border security. (Governor Greg Abbott's Office)
But does razor wire really deter immigrants from entering the country illegally, and is it worth the cost?
Andrew Arthur, a law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, says the answer is a resounding yes.
He cited U.S. Customs and Border Protection data showing that encounters with illegal immigrants in Texas' five border regions fell by nearly two-thirds in January after the state finished installing the wires. pointed out.
Arthur told FOX News Digital that Texas began erecting barbed wire fortifications in May 2023, after the coronavirus-era measure Title 42 expired. Then, after a surge of migrants in December, Texas deployed additional Patrol agents, state troopers and resources to the border.
“Based on the numbers we're looking at here, it's definitely effective,” he says.
U.S. military personnel install razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border at the McAllen Hidalgo International Bridge on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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“I read this and what the power line did was it shifted the flow to the west,” he explained. “And that's important because it's a much longer route. It adds hundreds of miles to the smuggling journey.”
Although razor wire is effective, it is not without its drawbacks. Even more than traditional boundary walls, wires must be constantly monitored. It also requires regular maintenance and the installation of additional wire after the old wire is damaged or destroyed.
“It's a temporary solution because they have to replace the bellows wires they have and at some point they can't keep sending wave after wave of soldiers. Texas It’s a big state, so it’s hundreds of miles from home,” he explained. “When I was buried there with the officer, he was from Abilene, which is not near the border, and he had been there for six weeks.”
Texas National Guard soldiers on patrol near the banks of the Rio Grande on April 2, 2024, in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
There are also humanitarian considerations.
Arthur said razor wire is an effective deterrent, protecting migrants attempting the dangerous Rio Grande crossing.
Meanwhile, Dylan Corbett, who runs an El Paso-based immigrant support and advocacy group called Hope Border Institute, said the presence of wires along the border is increasing injuries and deaths of migrants. .
Corbett told Fox News Digital that doctors working with the Hope Border Institute had to treat family members who were injured by the wire, as well as “wounds caused by projectiles fired by the National Guard.” spoke.
After crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on September 27, 2023, Venezuelan immigrant Luis Sanchez asks the Texas National Guard to take his family through razor wire. (John Moore/Getty Images)
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“In El Paso, almost the entire border, including part of the border with New Mexico, has been fortified with a layer of bellows wire,” he explained. “Although deaths across the border appear to have decreased over the past year, they have increased in El Paso. That increase has increased sharply over the past few years and is consistent with the presence of security guards and bellows wire. Because those who cross the border are forced just west of the city, where they must cross deserts or rivers to die. ”
He called for the federal government to finally step in and “assert federal supremacy over immigration control at the border and fix the entire system.”
“More people are dying here than ever before,” he said. “The longer we wait, the more states will continue their own chaotic and irresponsible enforcement actions, needlessly endangering lives and needlessly diverting millions of taxpayer dollars.”
