Judge demands Texas Gov. Abbott remove potentially deadly immigrant barriers from Rio Grande

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) got bad news on Wednesday when a federal judge ordered him not to construct any more "migrant barrier" buoys in the Rio Grande -- and to remove the existing ones by Sept. 15.

The DOJ originally threatened to sue Abbott in July, saying he'd be hit with a suit if he doesn't commit to removing the purportedly life-threatening buoys his own people installed in the Rio Grande earlier that month. When there was no action from the governor, the Justice Department filed suit, seeking a preliminary injunction in the case.

Judge David Alan Ezra on Wednesday granted the government's motion, saying it's likely to succeed on the merits of its claim -- that the buoys violate the law and that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.

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Ezra further noted that Texas' "conduct irreparably harms the public safety, navigation, and the operation of federal agency officials in and around the Rio Grande."

The order enjoins Abbott from building new buoys or blockades, and requires them to be removed by Sept. 15, according to now-public court records.