GW Expert Available: Texas Ordered to Remove Rio Grande Barriers


September 7, 2023

Cori Alonso-Yoder

WASHINGTON (September 7, 2023)— Back in July, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against  the state of Texas for violating the Rivers and Harbors Act, barring the obstruction of U.S. waterways. Texas Governor Greg Abbott introduced “Operation Lone Star”, a $4 billion campaign includes the transportation of migrants to northern U.S. cities, while deploying state and federal officials to the border. One step in “Operation Lone Star” was the implantation of a 1,000-foot barrier on the banks of the Rio Grande River, along with other obstacles for migrants to “tackle”. This week, federal judge David Alan Ezra ordered to remove the barriers by September 15th on the Lone Stars own dollar.

If you would like legal context on the matter, please consider Cori Alonso-Yoder, Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering at the George Washington University Law School. Professor Alonso-Yoder in a nationally recognized expert on immigration legislation and the impacts of state, local, and federal laws on immigrant communities. Professor Alonso-Yoder has collaborated on transnational labor policies, provided legal counsel to inmates in U.S. immigration detention facilities, and served as an assistant to the chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva.

If you wish to speak with Professor Alonso-Yoder, please contact media relations specialist Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].

-GW-