Justice Department threatens to sue Texas over floating border barriers in Rio Grande

The Justice Department warned officials in Texas on Thursday that the federal government will sue the state unless it removes border barriers it recently set up in the middle of the Rio Grande to repel migrants from entering the U.S.

In a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's interim attorney general, two Justice Department lawyers said the floating barriers authorized by Abbott earlier this month violate federal law, threaten to impede the work of federal law enforcement and create "serious risks" to public safety and the environment.

"Texas's unauthorized construction of the floating barrier is a prima facie violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act. This floating barrier poses a risk to navigation, as well as public safety, in the Rio Grande River, and it presents humanitarian concerns," wrote Todd Kim, an assistant attorney general, and Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas. CNN first reported the letter.