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Border Patrol has "no plans" to remove razor wire placed by Texas along the southern border, a senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official told Fox News on Friday, stressing a "strong" relationship with Texas despite an ongoing legal battle between the state and the administration.
"While this issue plays out in the courts, the relationship between Border Patrol, Texas DPS [Department of Public Safety], & TMD [Texas Military Dept.] remains strong," the official said. "Our focus is and will always be the mission of protecting this country and its people. On the ground, we continue to work alongside these valuable partners in that endeavor."
"Bottom line: Border Patrol has no plans to remove infrastructure (c-wire) placed by Texas along the border. Our posture remains the same. If we need to access an area for emergency response, we will do so. When that happens, we will coordinate with Texas DPS & TMD"
The state is currently locked in a multi-pronged legal fight with the federal government over the security of the Texas-Mexico border. The federal government has threatened legal action over Texas’ recent seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, while lawsuits are ongoing over the administration’s cutting of razor wire set up by Texas and the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande. Texas has declared that it has a right to "self-defense" against what it says is a migrant "invasion."