Court rules in favor of Texas in razor wire case

Attorney General Ken Paxton also said the ruling was a “huge win for Texas…. We sued immediately when the federal government was observed destroying fences to let illegal aliens enter, and we’ve fought every step of the way for Texas sovereignty and security.”

A panel of three judges on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Texas in a lawsuit filed over its concertina wire barriers.

The court ruled 2-1 in a case that may set the tone for two other cases before the court related to Texas’ border security operations.

Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote for the majority, with Judge Don Willett joining him. Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez dissented, arguing Texas did not meet “its burden to show a waiver of sovereign immunity or a likelihood of success on the merits.”

The ruling was issued 13 months after Texas sued the Biden administration after it destroyed concertina wire barriers it erected on state land.

The court was asked to decide whether Border Patrol agents can legally cut concertina wire fencing erected by Texas law enforcement along its border with Mexico. The Biden administration ordered Gov. Greg Abbott to remove it, arguing he was interfering with federal immigration operations. Abbott refused, arguing that the administration was facilitating illegal entry and violating federal law. In response, the administration ordered Border Patrol agents to use a bulldozer and remove wire fencing. Abbott sued, arguing they were destroying Texas property and Texas has the legal authority to erect barriers on state land.

Texas requested the district court to issue an injunction to block Border Patrol agents from removing the fencing, which it denied despite agreeing with Texas’ arguments.

The court “agreed with Texas on the facts: not only was Border Patrol unhampered by the wire, but its agents had breached the wire numerous times ‘for no apparent purpose other than to allow migrants easier entrance further inland,’” the Fifth Circuit’s 75-page ruling states. However, it denied Texas’ request arguing the federal government had sovereign immunity.

Texas next appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which granted the injunction pending appeal. The Biden administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which vacated the injunction without any stated reason.

The Supreme Court’s ruling didn’t deter Texas, which continued building and erecting concertina wire in the Eagle Pass area, and later established the military base for Texas’ border security mission, Operation Lone Star, there. OLS officers also expanded concertina wire barriers in other key areas along its border.

“The Texas National Guard continues to hold the line in Eagle Pass,” Abbott said at the time. “Texas will not back down from our efforts to secure the border in Biden’s absence.”

The three-judge panel ruled that Texas “is entitled to a preliminary injunction.” The ruling states that the Biden administration “clearly waived sovereign immunity as to Texas’s state law claims under § 702 of the Administrative Procedure Act,” which it says “is supported by a flood of uncontradicted circuit precedent to which the United States has no answer.”

The Fifth Circuit also rejected other Biden administration arguments, including that Texas was erecting barriers to safeguard its own property, not to “regulate Border Patrol.”

The ruling reversed the district court’s judgment and granted Texas’ preliminary injunction. The court also prohibited the federal government from “damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s c-wire fence in the vicinity of Eagle Pass,” including Shelby Park, which Abbott shut down after learning that the Biden administration was using it as a staging ground to facilitate illegal entry into the US.

Abbott lauded the Fifth Circuit ruling, saying, “The federal court of appeals just ruled that Texas has the right to build the razor wire border wall that we have constructed to deny illegal entry into our state and that Biden was wrong to cut our razor wire. We continue adding more razor wire border barrier.”

Attorney General Ken Paxton also said the ruling was a “huge win for Texas.”

“The Biden Administration has been enjoined from damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s border fencing. We sued immediately when the federal government was observed destroying fences to let illegal aliens enter, and we’ve fought every step of the way for Texas sovereignty and security.”

With weeks left in the administration, the concertina wire barrier case is unlikely to be appealed for a full court review.

In May, the court is scheduled to hear arguments on a lawsuit related to Texas’ marine barriers in the Rio Grande River, unless the case is dropped by the incoming Trump administration. Another case before the court is over Texas’ border security law, SB 4.

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illegal immigration

Los Angeles declares a state of emergency over ICE deportations

Published on October 16, 2025

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MxM News

Los Angeles County leaders have declared a state of emergency over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, a move that federal officials and conservative leaders are blasting as a political stunt that undermines the rule of law.

JUST IN: Los Angeles County declares a state of emergency in response to the ICE raids, will provide rent relief.

The LA County Board of Supervisors made the move as the Trump admin continues to ramp up the raids.

“The move allows the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide… pic.twitter.com/DqtvvfhWDu

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 15, 2025

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a “Proclamation of Local Emergency for Federal Immigration Actions,” with only one supervisor, Kathryn Barger, voting no. The board claimed that ICE raids “created fear, disrupted neighborhoods, and destabilized families, workers, and businesses” across the region.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who introduced the measure, said the declaration “ensures that the full weight of County government is aligned to support our immigrant communities who are being targeted by federal actions.” But critics say the move has nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with shielding criminal illegal aliens from deportation. “The only emergency is the one the residents of Los Angeles face after electing officials who give a middle finger to the law,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News, adding that the agency is simply enforcing President Trump’s mandate to remove those in the country illegally — including violent offenders.

ICE spokesperson Emily Covington went further, saying, “Perhaps the board should ‘supervise’ funds to support law-abiding fire victims who still haven’t recovered instead of criminal illegal aliens seeking refuge in their sanctuary city. While they publicly fear-monger, I would be shocked if they didn’t agree with ICE removing a child rapist from their neighborhood.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi called the move “illegal” and accused Los Angeles County of aiding and abetting lawbreaking. “They don’t care about their citizens,” Bondi said on Fox News’ Hannity. “It’s hurting our citizens, and we’re going to keep fighting for the American people.” Chair Kathryn Barger — the lone dissenting vote — also warned that the county’s action could trigger federal consequences, noting that “the federal government has sole authority to enforce federal immigration law, and local governments cannot impede that authority.” She added that the county should instead push for “meaningful immigration reform that is fair, pragmatic, and creates legal pathways for those who contribute to our communities.”

The board’s declaration allows county departments to “mobilize resources, expedite contracting and procurement, coordinate interagency response, and request state and federal assistance” for residents impacted by ICE operations. It will remain in effect until the supervisors vote to terminate it. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced in August that between June and August, ICE agents arrested more than 5,000 illegal immigrants across Los Angeles County — including gang members, child predators, and murderers. “Families protected. American taxpayers spared the cost of their crimes AND the burden of their benefits,” Noem said at the time. “Thank you to our brave law enforcement officers. Make no mistake: if you are here illegally, we will find you, arrest you, and send you back. This is just the beginning.”

Critics of the county’s new proclamation say it sends the opposite message — one that rewards lawlessness and punishes those enforcing the law. As ICE continues its work to deport violent offenders, Los Angeles’ leadership appears more focused on fighting federal immigration law than on protecting the residents they were elected to serve.

(AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Business

Truckers see pay surge as ICE sweeps illegal drivers off U.S. highways

Published on October 13, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

American truckers say they’re finally earning more per mile as President Donald Trump’s enforcement push clears illegal drivers off U.S. highways. Truckers have reported 50% pay increases on some routes following a surge of ICE activity and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s crackdown on safety and work permit violations.

Key Details:

A trucker on X said his usual Chicago-to-Fargo run jumped from $1,200 to $1,800, crediting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement for thinning out illegal competitors.
ICE and federal transportation officials have detained or removed illegal drivers in multiple states, with reports of Serbian and Indian drivers losing their commercial licenses after failing to prove legal entry into the U.S.
FreightWaves founder Craig Fuller noted spot rates have risen about 2% despite weak demand, as “bottom feeders” who undercut prices are being “squeezed out of the market.”

Diving Deeper:

As President Trump’s immigration enforcement intensifies, American truckers are seeing something rare in a sluggish cargo economy: rising wages. Across online freight boards and social media, truckers are crediting the administration’s “Compliance Crunch” — a combination of ICE raids and new safety regulations — for clearing out illegal drivers who had been depressing pay rates for years.

One trucker wrote on X that his typical Chicago-to-Fargo route, which paid $1,200 before the election, now brings in $1,800. “Needless to say, I took him up on the offer,” he posted. “Lord do I hope this hangs around a little bit.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been enforcing long-ignored safety and documentation rules, targeting companies that hired drivers without valid immigration status or complete customs paperwork. “We have Americans who’ve been in trucking for 50 years through family businesses,” Duffy told Fox News on October 8. “They can’t do business anymore because you have these illegals coming in, living out of their trucks… they can’t speak the language, and they come in under price — way under price.”

According to reports from The Serbian Times, at least fifteen Serbian drivers have been detained in recent days, and agents have begun seizing commercial driver’s licenses from migrants lacking proof of legal entry. Many of these drivers, primarily from Eastern Europe and South Asia, were able to operate under the Biden administration with minimal oversight — often undercutting legitimate American drivers by accepting lower pay.

Craig Fuller of FreightWaves observed that even though freight volumes remain “anemic,” per-mile spot rates rose roughly 2% as noncompliant firms exit the market. “We are seeing the bottom feeders get squeezed out,” he wrote, adding that most contract carriers haven’t yet felt the wage impact but likely will as enforcement spreads.

Industry experts say nearly one-third of the nation’s freight has been hauled by non-citizen drivers, which trucking analyst Bill Skinner called “not just a safety issue — it’s a national security risk.”

While some corporate logistics networks such as Amazon and Walmart may eventually argue that higher trucking wages could drive up costs, analysts note that the increases are modest and likely offset by fewer accidents, delays, and fraud cases tied to unlicensed or illegal operators.