At least, not without official federal permission. And the actual floating razor wire barrier clearly violates our international treaties — on treatment of asylum seekers.

That asylum seekers are being lacerated by this inhumane garbage political stunt (Herr Guv. Abbott) is beyond dispute.

That he didn’t ask for approval: likewise beyond dispute — as it would never have been given.

And now, here is the complaint (brought in the name of the United States) in federal court, in West Texas, in full — and a bit:

…The Floating Barrier consists of a string of buoys [wrapped in razor wire] each of which is between 4 and 6 feet in diameter. According to a June 8, 2023, press statement by Governor Abbott, this string of buoys may stretch for at least 1,000 feet.

Defendants do not have authorization from the Corps pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 403 or 33 C.F.R. § 322.3 for the Floating Barrier or for any associated infrastructure…. Defendants did not seek authorization from the Corps prior to installing the Floating Barrier…. Governor Abbott stated publicly on June 8, 2023, that Texas may seek to build
similar floating barriers within the Rio Grande along the United States-Mexico border in Texas in addition to the one then contemplated, and now constructed, in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas.

Because Texas installed the Floating Barrier without seeking the Corps’ authorization, the Corps and other relevant federal agencies were deprived of the opportunity to evaluate risks the barrier poses to public safety and the environment, mitigate those risks as necessary through the permitting process, and otherwise evaluate whether the project is in the public interest.

Governor Abbott has stated publicly that the Floating Barrier is part of a broader effort called “Operation Lone Star”…. According to Governor Abbott, Operation Lone Star also includes the placement of concertina wire near the U.S.-Mexico border…. With respect to the placement of concertina wire, Governor Abbott has stated: “We aren’t asking for permission….”

This man is an immorally deplorable, cruel and embittered… loser. His MAGA agenda has utterly failed to win broader national support (his mentor, Tangerine, is well on his way to a federal prison), so — as all despots eventually do — he’s turned to human rights abuses, to foment anger and whip up fund-raising support — in his tiny, but apparently loyal to brown-shirts base.

What an ass.

Soon the people of Texas will have to pay for the injuries to asylum seekers, as well as pay the fees of the attorneys bringing suit against Abbott. Of course, he and AG Paxson only ever waste the taxpayers’ money on this garbage — not any of their own.

Damnation.