Border
Kayaking company sues Texas over floating border wall plan
As they work to install the barrier, the buoy construction company has forced Fuentes to cancel several of his scheduled kayak tours
July 10, 2023 2:19am
Updated: July 10, 2023 7:07am
A company sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday over his plans to install a floating barrier in the Rio Grande to prevent undocumented migrant crossings across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Texas Kayaking company Epi’s Canoe & Kayak Team filed a lawsuit on Friday in Austin Texas to prevent the state from installing the buoys that make up the “water-based barrier.” According to Jessie Fuentes, the owner of the company, the wall would prevent him from giving kayak tours, causing “imminent and irreparable harm” to his company.
Abbott plans to install the first 1,000 feet of the new barrier near the city of Eagle Pass, which is across from the Mexican town of Piedras Negras, a hot spot for migrant crossings.
The new “water-based barrier” is made up of four-foot-wide buoys that are equipped with weights and netting, and are designed to rotate if someone attempts to climb over them.
New marine barrier installation on the Rio Grande begins today.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2023
Texas DPS is overseeing the project in Eagle Pass.
More to come. pic.twitter.com/nHrTqUG7Fi
"Anytime they get in that water, it’s a risk to the migrants. This is the deterrent from even coming in the water," Texas Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw said last month.
As they work to install the barrier, the buoy construction company has forced Fuentes to cancel several of his scheduled kayak tours. At points, his company has even been prevented from accessing the river. In the lawsuit, Fuentes is asking the judge to halt the construction of the floating wall.
“Our lawsuit seeks to protect communities on the Texas-Mexico border from Governor Abbott’s misleading politics,” said attorney Carlos Flores, who represents Fuentes.
Abbott responded to the lawsuit by saying that he intends to fight it.
“We will see you in court. And don’t think the Travis Co. Court will be the end of it. This is going to the Supreme Court. Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border,” he posted on Twitter.
"Abbott sued over plan to deploy buoys in the Rio Grande."
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 8, 2023
We will see you in court.
And don't think the Travis Co. Court will be the end of it.
This is going to the Supreme Court.
Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border. https://t.co/1qg7tsrfI6
