SAN ANTONIO — A federal judge in Texas has issued a major ruling regarding funding for border wall construction and what the Biden administration can and cannot do with it.
The latest ruling says the Biden administration cannot sell materials intended for border wall construction and cannot appropriate money appropriated by Congress for border wall construction for other purposes.
The lawsuit was originally filed by Texas and Missouri in 2021, and a judge sided with both states in May.
Both attorneys general filed the complaint in December after a photo of a piece of border wall put up for auction went viral.
A screenshot from the government surplus website GovPlanet shows the wall material up for auction, with bids starting at $5.
Those listings have since been removed.
The Pentagon told news outlets that the National Defense Authorization Act requires all surplus wall construction materials to be used, transferred or donated.
Officials said the supplies were divided and 60% went to authorized recipients including Texas, California and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The remaining 40% was sold to GovPlanet in June, so the works up for auction no longer belong to the government.
The Department of Defense says Texas requested and later received some of those materials.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick initially said he wanted to buy them and donate them to the incoming Trump administration, but later decided against donating them because the pieces were “covered in rusty concrete” and “mostly junk.” announced that it could not be done. The feeling of having them all.
Still, he promised to buy parts that Texas could use.
The ruling means the Biden administration cannot sell surplus materials or allocate money Congress appropriated for border wall construction to other purposes.
The ruling will remain in effect longer than the end of Biden’s term.
However, it doesn’t mean much for works that were originally put up for auction.
The federal government no longer has any control over those parts because they’re already selling them.
Patrick shared a text he sent to President-elect Trump on X, saying the state of Texas is in talks with an auctioneer about storing the pieces until after the inauguration.
Leaders still view the ruling as a victory.
President-elect Trump celebrated this on his “Truth” social site.
In a significant and significant victory for America and national security, a federal judge in Texas has ordered the Biden administration to sell any materials earmarked for the border wall, based on documents we filed a few days ago. Forbidden…
The judge also ordered an investigation into the illegal sale of the materials.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said:
We successfully prevented the Biden administration from disposing of any more border wall material before President Trump took office. We will hold the Biden administration accountable for illegally destroying our nation’s border security until its final days in office.
New ‘panic button’ app for Mexican nationals preparing for detention
Mexico is developing a mobile phone app that can alert family members if their nationals living in the United States are at risk of being detained, a senior official announced Friday.
The app, which will be officially released in January, will allow migrants to notify both their relatives and the Mexican consulate closest to their location. According to the press release, the relevant family members must be pre-selected.
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente likened the app to a panic button at a press conference.
“If you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, press the alarm button and a signal will be sent to the nearest consulate,” de la Fuente said.
He said “special consideration” will be provided to Mexican nationals who wish to return home and encouraged those with children born in the United States to ensure they register with the consulate.
“The president has also directed us to focus on direct community engagement, and we have already begun,” de la Fuente said. “I have personally attended several public meetings where the important message is to tell our fellow citizens that they are not alone and will not be alone.”
U.S. authorities are required to inform detained migrants that they have the option of notifying the consulate general in their home country.
The Mexican app comes as the incoming Trump administration promises to crack down on illegal immigration in the United States, including implementing mass deportations. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed in November that his administration would use “military assets” to carry out these deportations.
Human smuggling: Young Texans most likely to be recruited
New insights into who gets arrested for human smuggling.
Last legislative session, Texas increased fines for people caught doing this. If convicted, the sentence ranged from a minimum of two years to a minimum of 10 years.
New data shows that many young people are being caught and arrested for smuggling.
We looked at the numbers provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts from border counties in Texas.
According to data from May 2023 to April 2024, almost half of the captured smugglers were between 17 and 26 years old. Most were men.
Almost 57% had no prior criminal history. Lawyers say Coyotes seek it out because it could help convince teens and young adults that a clean record might give them more mercy in the legal system. states.
Regarding the origin of smugglers, the data shows that their citizenship is primarily in the United States, at 72.6%.
About 22% of the smugglers were from Houston, the most of any Texas city.
San Antonio came in second at 14.7%.
We explore how organizers of these operations are contacting teens and what parents, schools, and community members need to know about the consequences. , I spoke to a lawyer.
People who get into this are usually young. They are not sophisticated. They believe they cannot be charged as an adult because they may be under 18 years of age. I have not seen these cases filed in juvenile court. San Antonio criminal defense attorney Shannon Locke sees them being taken to adult court. “Typically these kids are about 16 to 21 years old. They think they can get away with this. This is an incredibly difficult plan to execute. Highway 90 In my opinion, it is the most patrolled highway in the United States.
