US appeals court lets Texas keep river barrier against illegal border crossings

Migrants from South and Central America point towards the United States as they stand atop the bank of the Rio Grade river while searching for an entry point into El Paso, Texas, U.S., from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

(Reuters) - Texas can keep a 1,000-foot (300 meters) long floating barrier in the Rio Grande to deter illegal border crossings by migrants at the river separating the United States and Mexico, a U.S. appeals court has ruled, rejecting a challenge by President Joe Biden's administration.

The full New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a preliminary injunction granted by a lower court that required Texas to move the string of wrecking ball-sized buoys it placed in a shallow area of the river.