A federal judge has rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s plea to prevent Border Patrol agents from cutting the state’s border razor wire. U.S. District Judge Alia Moses ruled in favor of the federal government, stating that Texas failed to provide sufficient evidence of federal law violation. However, she criticized the federal government’s immigration policy and the behavior of Border Patrol agents.

Judge Moses questioned the logic behind the government’s approach, asking why migrants aren’t allowed to enter the country at official ports of entry. She pointed out that the current system, which requires migrants to book appointments via a mobile app, is inadequate, with the limited slots filling up quickly. This forces many asylum seekers to cross the border illegally and surrender to U.S. authorities.

The Texas Military Department has spent $11 million over the past three years to install 70,000 rolls of razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border. Paxton’s lawsuit against the Biden administration last month claimed that Border Patrol agents were unlawfully destroying state property by cutting the wire to aid migrants in crossing the border. Paxton’s office has appealed Judge Moses’ ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Read more at Texas Tribune.