A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has ordered President Biden to stop auctioning off border wall parts, in a blow to the lame duck president's scramble to undermine Trump's immigration plans.
The Biden administration said it would abide by the ruling, which bars the sale of border wall materials for 30 days, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said.
The order came after Paxton requested a hearing to determine whether Biden is in violation of a previous injunction requiring the administration to use statutorily obligated funds on border wall construction.
Paxton's move followed reports that the Biden administration is scrambling to sell unused border wall parts before Trump returns to office.
As part of the court's ruling, Paxton won the right to access documentation proving the Biden administration's compliance with the May injunction.
“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said in a statement.
“This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda,” he added.
Trump's lawyer John Sauer urged the judge to stop Biden, arguing his actions would undermine the executive authority of the incoming president, who has pledged to restore border security.
“If the current Administration is selling off border-wall materials at rock-bottom prices, imposing financial losses on the United States in an attempt to defeat the pro-wall policy of President Trump, it is unlawfully encroaching on the incoming Administration’s exercise of the Executive Power,” Sauer said.
The reversal of Trump's hardline immigration policies led to the largest influx of immigrants in American history, with an average of 2.4 million per year on Biden's watch. Biden moved on day one of his presidency to cancel the construction of Trump's southern border wall.
Biden's immigration moves faced fresh scrutiny in December after the Daily Wire obtained footage of unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks. The administration has reportedly been selling the material at severe discounts on an auction site, GovPlanet.
Trump hailed the judge's ruling as a "crucial win" after calling Biden's effort to scrap the parts "criminal."
“It’s very expensive, and now it’s about double the price of what it would have been six years ago, and the administration is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar, knowing that we’re getting ready to put it up,” he added.
