Texas Installs New Anti-Climb Fence at Border

Texas has installed a new "anti-climb" fence at the U.S.-Mexico border as Republicans continue their election year critique on the border policies of President Joe Biden.

Fox News reporter Matt Finn shared a video of camouflaged Texas troops installing the barrier near El Paso in a Tuesday post to X, formerly Twitter. Finn said that the fence was similar to a "wall" installed at Eagle Pass, where a large number of Texas National Guard have been deployed after Republican Governor Greg Abbott declared a border "disaster" earlier this year.

"Exclusive: first up-close look at Texas' new wire fence and barrier going up in El Paso," Finn wrote while sharing the seven second video, which shows the installation of standard-looking wire fence backed by several layers of razor wire. "Miles of it. Similar to the effective 'wall' in Shelby Park, Eagle Pass."

Republicans celebrated the development as a rebuke of the Biden administration and a victory for Abbott, who has heavily pushed the issue while calling for former President Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk argued that the fence had been installed in defiance of "the Biden Regime," before noting that a large group of undocumented migrants knocked over a fence and overpowered the Texas National Guard while attempting to cross the border in the same area last month.

"Texas has once again DEFIED the Biden Regime by taking back control of the El Paso border," Kirk wrote on X. "Texas National Guard installed concertina wire and a new anti-climb fence this morning. On March 21st, a mob of illegals pushed through border personnel, rioting, and then tearing apart the previous razor wire barrier."

Right-wing political cartoonist Ben Garrison shared a drawing of Biden wrapped inside the fence with razor wire spelling "MAGA" as an armadillo carrying a Texas flag looks at the president and says "don't mess with Texas." Garrison made very similar comments to Kirk while sharing the cartoon.

"Don't mess with Texas!" Garrison wrote. "Today, the Texas National Guard defied the Biden regime and again took control of the El Paso border, installing concertina wire (razor wire) and a new anti-climb fence."

The Conservative Read, an account that says it is "working to combat the biased mainstream media," argued that the fence was pushing back against Biden "prioritizing illegals."

"While the Biden admin refuses to close the border, prioritizing illegals, Texas continues to take matters into their own hands to protect our nation's sovereignty & security," the account commented while sharing Finn's video. "Texas national guard installing new wire fence and barriers in El Paso."

Moves by Texas to unilaterally enforce its own border polices in defiance of the federal government have not been celebrated by all Americans. The Biden administration and many others from the political left have described Abbott's tactics as heavy-handed and "cruel," while the policies have faced a series of court challenges.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House and Abbott's office via email on Tuesday.

Biden has accused Republicans of attempting to worsen the migrant situation to bolster their chances of winning November's presidential election, pointing out that Trump urged GOP lawmakers to block a $118 billion bill that included $20 billion to secure the border earlier this year.

The installation of the new fence in El Paso follows the March 21 incident that some have called a "riot," when over 100 asylum seekers tore down a razor wire fence in the area and overpowered troops in an attempt to illegally enter the U.S.

A judge in El Paso on Sunday ordered the release of many migrants accused of participating, although Michael Cuccaro, executive director of El Paso County Council of Judges, told Newsweek that they were all headed back into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

Abbott said on X last week that he was expanding military presence at the border due to the incident, ordering an additional 700 Texas National Guard troops to El Paso, including "200 Soldiers of the Texas Tactical Border Force."