President-elect Donald Trump filed a court brief late Thursday supporting legal efforts in Texas and Missouri to “immediately” halt the Biden administration’s sale of border wall materials, calling the act “a potential crime.” “There is,” he said.
Earlier this week, Texas and Missouri filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas asking for a status conference to determine whether the government is violating the court’s permanent injunction from earlier this year. The injunction prohibited the Biden administration from using money mandated for wall construction for any other purpose.
‘Pattern of neglect’: Red states seek legal action over Biden administration’s ‘shameful’ border wall decision
“The Court should order the Defendants to immediately cease the continued sale of border barrier items to civilians pending the Court’s review of the Defendants’ conduct; In such cases, formal discovery should lead to an expedited investigation into the government’s conduct.”It is necessary to investigate the government’s compliance with the law, the Constitution, and the court’s injunctions.”President Trump’s Court It is stated in the preliminary document.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 16, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
After abruptly halting most border wall construction in 2021, the Biden administration has been auctioning off parts of the border wall since at least 2023, with pieces on the auction market.
These auctions continue, and border officials told Fox that they are now weekly and have been for some time. But the practice made headlines last week when the Daily Wire published a video showing the shipment of parts and quoted a Border Patrol agent as saying the goal was to eradicate it before Christmas.
President Trump’s court filing states that Biden administration officials “intentionally sold border wall materials at great economic cost to the government in order to thwart Congress and President Trump’s pro-wall policies. If so, such conduct is likely to constitute a criminal offence.” As a conspiracy to deceive the United States. ”
“At a minimum, the reported conduct raises alarming concerns of potential criminal activity,” the filing states.
Republican senators move to block federal authorities from scrapping border wall materials amid auction backlash
Defense officials told Fox News last week that the Pentagon is disposing of surplus wall construction under the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024. The law requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to use, transfer, or donate all remaining purchased wall materials. With Pentagon funding. The plan was submitted in March.
The official said border states, including Texas, had first offered to buy the materials before the auction. The official also said the materials no longer belong to the U.S. government, adding that the Pentagon has no legal authority to recall them or stop their further resale.
“Through our reuse, transfer, and donation process, nearly 60% of these materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the states of Texas and California,” officials said. Ta. “The remaining 40% was sold to GovPlanet under a competitive sales agreement process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GovPlanet’s online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government and is does not have the legal authority to recall the material or to cease further sale of the material or to resell material that is no longer in its possession. ”
For more information on the border security crisis, click here
But those comments have not stopped the anger of Republicans, who see the auction as a move to stop the Trump administration from building a wall. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill this week that would halt the auctions.
Meanwhile, President Trump said Monday that he was working with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others to obtain the materials.
This March 2, 2019 file photo shows Customs and Border Protection agents patrolling the U.S. side of the razor-lined border wall along the Mexican border east of Nogales, Arizona. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“What they’re doing is really an act, almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it, and they know that if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it. And that cost is Because it’s double what it cost a few years ago, which is hundreds of millions of dollars.” You’re talking about a lot of walls. ”
Paxton said in a statement that Texas is going to court to “prevent Border Patrol materials from being illegally sold and uncover the truth about what the federal government is doing to destroy border wall construction.” He said he was going to .
‘Stand by to help’: Red states reveal plans to buy border wall material to be kept for Trump at auction
“President Trump has an overwhelming mandate from the American people to build the wall, and he will do everything in his power to prevent any obstruction by the outgoing administration.”
Texas says it will do everything in its power to help the incoming administration build a wall on its southern border in time for President Trump’s inauguration.
“The Biden administration’s latest attempt to thwart Texas and President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to secure our southern border is absolutely disgraceful, and it is a complete disgrace to the state of Texas and the U.S. in support of increasingly disastrous open border policies. It shows a continuing pattern of disregard for the safety of people’s families,” Texas Land Secretary Dawn Buckingham said in a statement to FOX News Digital.
Officials announced this week that they intended to purchase the auctioned materials, and Buckingham said they intended to store them on state land for the new administration.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I am committed to using every tool the GLO has to offer to secure our border and protect Texans,” Buckingham said in a statement to Fox. “That’s why I offered state leaders and President-elect Donald Trump the opportunity to store wall panels on federal land that the incoming administration may acquire. I secured our porous southern border. And we will never give up the fight to protect our sons and daughters from violent and criminal illegal immigrants. ”
FOX News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
