Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is celebrating what he calls a win for President-elect Donald Trump’s border security plans. The Biden administration announced during a federal court hearing that it would stop auctioning off leftover border wall materials for the next month. This move comes as preparations are underway for Trump’s return to office and his promises of stricter immigration policies.
According to Paxton’s office, the Biden administration agreed to an order preventing further sales of border wall sections for the next 30 days. This decision followed claims that the federal government was selling parts of the wall at incredibly low prices—up to half a mile of materials each day—for just a fraction of what they originally cost.
Paxton isn’t holding back. He called out the Biden administration, saying their actions could be illegal. “The Biden Administration cannot auction off sections of the border wall,” Paxton stated in a December 17 press release. “If these reports are true, they’re violating a federal court order. Texas is going to court to stop any unlawful sales and to uncover the truth. President Trump has a clear mandate to build the wall, and I’ll do everything possible to prevent sabotage by the outgoing administration.”
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, has issued an order blocking the sale of wall materials for the next month. The judge also asked the Biden administration to provide documents showing whether it ignored an earlier court order. That order, secured by Paxton in May, required the government to use funds Congress had already allocated for border wall construction. Paxton claims the Biden administration tried to reroute that money illegally.
The state of Texas, joined by Missouri and its Attorney General Andrew Bailey, is suing the Biden administration for not following a 2020 law. That law set aside $1.4 billion for building barriers along the southern border.
Paxton says the latest court decision is another step in holding the Biden administration accountable. “We’ve stopped them from selling any more border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said in a statement. “This is on top of our earlier victory that forced the Biden administration to continue building the wall. We will ensure they don’t undermine our nation’s border security in their final days in power.”
The court filings highlight Trump’s frustration over reports of wall sections being sold at rock-bottom prices. The motion, backed by Paxton, notes Trump’s concerns that some buyers are now trying to resell those materials at massive markups to the federal government.
William McKerall, a top official at the Texas Facilities Commission, also criticized the process in court documents. He said the way the federal government has been handling these auctions lacks transparency and clarity.
Neither the Justice Department nor Paxton’s office could be reached for comment over the weekend. This legal battle highlights the ongoing tensions between federal and state governments over border security, a hot-button issue that continues to dominate headlines.
