A U.S. District Judge in Texas has ruled that the federal government must remove floating barriers placed in parts of the Rio Grande – a major river that serves as the border between the United States and Mexico.
The judge’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of landowners located along the river. The group argued that the barriers, which are inflatable rafts mounted with flags and other objects, were both an environmental hazard and a threat to navigation.
The court agreed with these arguments and found that the barriers violated the Rio Grande Compact, a 1948 agreement among several states and the federal government that governs the use of the Rio Grande.
While the ruling is a victory for the landowners, it is also part of a larger legal battle over the U.S. government’s attempts to erect barriers and other measures along the border with Mexico. As part of its efforts to restrict immigration, the government has been constructing many such barriers in recent years.
The ruling is also a reminder that even though most of the Rio Grande is part of the United States, the river is functionally part of an international boundary. This means that the federal government must comply with treaties and other laws regulating the use of this shared resource.
The U.S. government has been given thirty days to remove the barriers at issue in this case. It remains to be seen whether the government will comply, or whether the case will need to be revisited in court. In the meantime, the ruling serves as a reminder that the United States must abide by the rules governing the use of the Rio Grande, even when attempting to enact measures to regulate immigration.