WASHINGTON (July 25, 2023)—On Monday the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Texas and its governor, Greg Abbott for violating the Rivers and Harbors Act, barring the obstruction of U.S. waterways. Governor Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star”, a $4 billion campaign includes the transportation of migrants to northern U.S. cities, while deploying state and federal officials to the border. One step in “Operation Lone Star” was the implantation of a 1,000-foot barrier on the banks of the Rio Grande River, along with other obstacles for migrants to “tackle”.

If you would like legal context on the matter, please consider Cori Alonso-Yoder, Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering at the George Washington University Law School. Professor Alonso-Yoder in a nationally recognized expert on immigration legislation and the impacts of state, local, and federal laws on immigrant communities. Professor Alonso-Yoder has collaborated on transnational labor policies, provided legal counsel to inmates in U.S. immigration detention facilities, and served as an assistant to the chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva.

 -GW-