Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has no constitutional authority to define the flow of undocumented immigrants across the Rio Grande as an “invasion” and is usurping powers that belong to the federal government, the US Department of Justice said in new documents. court proceedings, quoted by the USA Today newspaper.
“If and when an ‘invasion’ occurs is a matter of foreign policy and national defense, which the Constitution specifically commits to the federal government,” the Justice Department noted in a 13-page report that included nearly 150 pages of supporting material.
“An invasion is ‘armed hostility from another political entity, such as another state or foreign country that intends to overthrow the government of the state,’” the Justice Department added, citing a 1996 Supreme Court decision.
The brief, filed last night in the Western District of Texas, is part of ongoing litigation brought by the Department of Justice against Abbott and the state of Texas over placing giant buoys in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass to deter illegal immigration. .
Luis Miranda, deputy undersecretary for communication of the Department of Homeland Security, assured yesterday that the United States has expelled more than 145,000 undocumented immigrants since May 12 and warned that it will continue to “enforce the laws.” That day, the government of President Joe Biden lifted a health regulation known as Title 42 that allowed blocking almost all migrants who arrived without the necessary documents to enter the country, reported Afp.
