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| Omar Ornelas/ El Paso Times |
Week after week, Texas National Guard soldiers unfurl concertina wire on the bank of the Rio Grande, along the concrete levy and the ragged edge where tall cane grows. The military-style barrier is 6 feet tall, sharp enough to tear flesh.
Gov. Greg Abbott's deployment of troops to El Paso under Operation Lone Star is nearing the three-month mark, raising questions about whether soldiers, Humvees and razor-wire fencing will become a permanent fixture of the El Paso border landscape — and whether the new infrastructure is lawful or warranted.
The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, a federal agency, controls the riverbank and levies and must license and permit construction in the zone. The IBWC confirmed to the El Paso Times that Texas hasn't pursued permits to erect infrastructure at the border.
"No, they did not request permission from us before their operation," said IBWC spokeswoman Leslie Grijalva in an emailed response to questions.
The U.S. section of the IBWC "reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety (which appears to be handling this matter for the National Guard) and requested that they submit information for USIBWC review to go through our permitting/licensing process for infrastructure placed on USIBWC-controlled lands," Grijalva said on Friday. "They submitted some information to us in December but have not responded to our request for additional material that we require."
On Tuesday, Abbott posted the El Paso Times story and a response on Twitter: "We aren’t asking for permission. Instead we are doing the federal government’s job to secure the border."
To some, the soldiers and fencing amount to the militarization of a peaceful border and a usurpation by the Texas governor of federal authority. Others say the National Guard and its infrastructure are there to reinforce a physical boundary the federal government isn't adequately defending.
The National Guard has installed more than 62 miles of concertina wire and 72 miles of other fencing along the Texas border with Mexico since Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in early 2021, according to the Texas Military Department.
In El Paso, miles of razor wire and fencing extends from the border south of the University of Texas at El Paso, not far from the New Mexico state line, to a mile east of the towering red "X" monument in Juárez. Much of it has been laid south of the 18- to 30-foot steel border fence. --->READ MORE HERE
Miles of concertina wire can be seen along the southern border between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.
It was put up by the Texas National Guard, which was sent to the border under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star in December 2022.
But federal officials say the state does not have the proper permits to install the barriers, as reported by the El Paso Times.
In a statement to KTSM, the United States International Boundary and Water Commission said a request has been made to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which is leading the border security initiative, to submit the information that is required for permitting licensing.
“The USIBWC reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety and requested that they submit information for USIBWC review to go through our permitting/licensing process for infrastructure placed on USIBWC-controlled lands. They submitted information to us in December but have not responded to our request for additional material that we require,” said Leslie Grijalva USIBWC spokeswoman.
The statement added that the communication is ongoing.
“We have been in communication with the various agencies with a presence at the border regarding permitting requirements for any infrastructure that may have been placed in or proposed for placement in the USIBWC right-of-way,” Grijalva said.
However, Abbott said the state of Texas is not asking the feds for permission when securing the border. ...>READ MORE HERE
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