Ohio Sen. Vance introduces bill to prevent feds from dismantling Texas razor-wire fence

Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance on Thursday introduced legislation to prevent federal authorities from dismantling fencing near the southern border erected by state governments amid a row between Texas and the Biden administration over a razor-wire fence along the Rio Grande riverbank.

Texas has deployed roughly 110 miles of concertina wire along state and private property as part of its own unilateral border enforcement effort. The state sued to prevent the feds from cutting through the fence and initially secured an injunction at the appellate level. The Supreme Court this week lifted that injunction. Neither court has yet ruled on the merits.

"The Supreme Court gave Joe Biden a green light to cut down barriers put in place by the State of Texas," Vance said in a press release. "My bill would codify the right of every state along the U.S.-Mexico border to defend its own territory. If Joe Biden refuses to take action, let the states get the job done."

Dubbed the "State Border Security Act," Vance's plan would stop federal agents from dismantling state-erected fencing with 25 miles of the Mexican border.

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision, Abbott reasserted Texas's right to defend itself and contended that the Biden administration had failed to perform its duties amid the unprecedented surge in illegal border crossings.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.