Concertina wire Definition & Meaning

Texas installing concertina wire along New Mexico border Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch Republican and opponent of President Biden’s immigration policies, accused the Biden administration of cutting through razor wire in an X (formally known as Twitter) post in September.

But in recent months, Texas National Guard members and state police officers have taken a more aggressive approach toward migrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande, laying down concertina wire along the riverbank and, in some cases, shouting at them to go back to Mexico.

Shipping container barriers topped with concertina wire and metal poles blocked three vehicle lanes into the U.S. at the port of entry Thursday afternoon.

About a dozen migrants were camped on the opposite side of the border wall, but entry to the gates was blocked with thickets of concertina wire.

And tensions have grown between state and federal officials over the state’s placement of buoys in the river and the concertina wire, which some federal border agents have cut in order to assist migrants struggling in the river.

In areas like Eagle Pass, Texas, the concertina wire is placed on the northern and U.S. side of the Rio Grande River, which means migrants who reach it are already on U.S. soil and legally allowed to enter through for apprehension and processing.

In Texas, state officials have ordered concertina wire strung on some banks on the U.S.-side of the Rio Grande and placed large buoys in the river to deter crossings.

Migrants walk behind concertina wire in the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 15, 2023.