CNN’s Dana Bash solemnly lamented on Friday’s Inside Politics that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is in defiance of a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding razor wire at the border there was just one problem: the Court never said the wire was illegal.
What the Court did was remove an injunction that prohibited federal authorities from removing the wire while the underlying case is litigated. Theoretically, the feds could remove the wire, do whatever it is they need to do, leave, and Texas could put the wire right back, but Bash warned, “Texas is ignoring the highest court in the land. This week the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden Administration has the legal authority to remove razor wire along the Southern border, but the Lone Star State governor doesn't care and is blocking federal agents from accessing it.”
Bash added, “CNN even saw more wire after being -- after the ruling came down. Rosa Flores was there, was part of the reporting team talking about this, looking at this extensively. Rosa, tell our viewers exactly what you saw.”
The question of access was not addressed by the Court, only the wire. The Biden Administration has sent some strongly worded letters to Texas officials on the need for access to Shelby Park, but has not yet formally sued.
Nevertheless, Flores concurred with Bash, “Well, what we're seeing is that the state of Texas is in defiance. They are deploying more razor wire and more anti-climbing fence, but, Dana, really it is migrants who are caught in the migrant of this border battle between Texas and federal authorities.”
Later, Bash was discussing the matter with her panel and after playing a series of clips of Republican governors supporting Abbott again solemnly declared, “So this is the U.S. Supreme Court, including one of the three justices who Donald Trump appointed, Amy Coney Barrett, siding with a majority that said, you can't do this. All of these Republican governors starting with Greg Abbott are saying, well, we're going to do it anyway.”
Legal and national security analyst Carrier Cordero agreed, “It creates this incredible difficult situation in real life, but as a matter of the law what is interesting here, Dana, there's over 150 years worth of law that exists that really establishes the primacy of the federal government when it comes to border -- it's authorities and immigration authorities. This is actually an area of law that has been pretty well settled for a really long time that the federal government has the stronger authorities here.”
CNN was making it seem as if the Court’s ruling was the end of the controversy, but in reality it was just the beginning. CNN should be more accurate in its reporting.
Here is a transcript for the January 26 show:
CNN Inside Politics with Dana Bash
1/26/2024
12:42 PM ET
DANA BASH: Texas is ignoring the highest court in the land. This week the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden Administration has the legal authority to remove razor wire along the Southern border, but the Lone Star State governor doesn't care and is blocking federal agents from accessing it. CNN even saw more wire after being -- after the ruling came down. Rosa Flores was there, was part of the reporting team talking about this, looking at this extensively. Rosa, tell our viewers exactly what you saw.
ROSA FLORES: Well, what we're seeing is that the state of Texas is in defiance. They are deploying more razor wire and more anti-climbing fence, but, Dana, really it is migrants who are caught in the migrant of this border battle between Texas and federal authorities.
…
BASH: So this is the U.S. Supreme Court, including one of the three justices who Donald Trump appointed, Amy Coney Barrett, siding with a majority that said, you can't do this. All of these Republican governors starting with Greg Abbott are saying, well, we're going to do it anyway.
CARRIE CORDERO: It creates this incredible difficult situation in real life, but as a matter of the law what is interesting here, Dana, there's over 150 years worth of law that exists that really establishes the primacy of the federal government when it comes to border -- it's authorities and immigration authorities. This is actually an area of law that has been pretty well settled for a really long time that the federal government has the stronger authorities here.
