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Texas defies federal threat to abandon border area, setting up legal showdown
The attorney general of Texas on Wednesday defied federal officials who demanded state authorities abandon a public park along the U.S.-Mexico border that state National Guard soldiers seized last week, setting up a legal showdown with the Biden administration over the country’s immigration policies.
Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security called on Texas officials to stop blocking federal Border Patrol from entering Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, an area next to the Rio Grande that the agency had been using to hold and inspect migrants. The department said Texas’ move to commandeer the park was obstructing Border Patrol’s obligations to apprehend and process migrants.
The top lawyer at DHS, Jonathan Meyer, warned Texas Attorney General Paxton over the weekend that the department would refer the matter to the Justice Department for potential legal action if the state did not relent.
In a scathing response to Meyer on Wednesday, Paxton indicated that Texas would not back down, rejecting the Biden administration’s accusation that state’s actions were “clearly unconstitutional.”
“Because the facts and law side with Texas, the State will continue utilizing its constitutional authority to defend her territory, and I will continue defending those lawful efforts in court,” Paxton wrote.
“Rather than addressing Texas’s urgent requests for protection, President Biden has authorized DHS to send a threatening letter through its lawyers,” Paxton added. “But Texas has lawyers, too, and I will continue to stand up for this State’s constitutional powers of self-defense.”
Texas National Guard soldiers took control of Shelby Park in the middle of last week, alarming federal authorities and local officials in Eagle Pass, who said they did not approve the takeover of a city park.
While Texas said the abrupt move was designed to deter migrants from crossing into the area illegally, the Biden administration has argued the park’s seizure has prevented Border Patrol agents from doing their jobs, including during emergency situations.
Over the weekend, federal officials and a Texas congressman said Texas National Guard soldiers barred Border Patrol agents from attempting to render aid to a group of migrants in distress, including a woman and two children who drowned. Texas officials denied the allegation, and the Justice Department later clarified in a filing to the Supreme Court that the drownings had already occurred when Border Patrol agents asked for and were denied permission to enter Shelby Park to attempt to help other migrants in distress.
Still, the Justice Department suggested the situation could have played out differently if Texas had not sealed off Shelby Park.
“It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area — including through its surveillance trucks that assisted in monitoring the area,” the Justice Department said Monday. “At the very least, however, Border Patrol would have had the opportunity to take any available steps to fulfill its responsibilities and assist its counterparts in the Mexican government with undertaking the rescue mission. Texas made that impossible.”
While it’s unclear whether the Justice Department will sue Texas to regain federal control of Shelby Park, it has already alerted the Supreme Court of the situation in a case regarding the razor wire the state has set up to repel migrant crossings. The Justice Department is asking the high court to suspend a lower court ruling that has generally prohibited Border Patrol from cutting the wire to process migrants who are already on American soil.
The Eagle Pass standoff is the latest flashpoint in a political battle between Texas Gov. Greg Abott and President Biden over how the U.S. should deal with migrant crossings, which have soared to record levels over the past three years. Among other actions, Abbott has directed Texas to bus tens of thousands of migrants to Democratic-led cities with “sanctuary” policies.
Over the weekend, the White House denounced Texas’ move in Eagle Pass as “inhumane” and “dangerous,” saying Border Patrol “must have access to the border to enforce our laws.”
Paxton rebuffed that criticism on Wednesday, telling DHS it was not fully enforcing U.S. immigration law.
“There is not even a pretense that you are trying to prevent the illegal entry of aliens,” he said.
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What’s the gold price forecast for November 2024?
Gold has long been viewed as a safe-haven investment, favored as a hedge against inflation that offers stability during times of global unrest. However, with gold prices repeatedly breaking new records in recent months, diversifying into gold has become an increasingly popular option.
Both seasoned gold investors and new gold investors have reason to be optimistic about the future price of gold in an economic climate with burgeoning deficits and political upheaval. But, whether you’re interested in buying gold bars and coins, opening a gold IRA with the best gold IRA companies or simply adding more gold to your portfolio, you may be wondering if prices can keep climbing.
Find out more about your gold investing options here.
What’s the gold price forecast for November 2024?
We’ve spoken to some experts to help you get an idea of where gold prices are likely to trend this November to provide some insight.
Prices could keep climbing
Although gold has hit new record highs, many experts believe prices are likely to continue their upward climb.
“I believe gold will continue to rise due to extremely high deficits and debt in the U.S.” says Doug Carey, founder and president of WealthTrace. “Many investors believe that high debt in the U.S. will lead to more money creation by the Federal Reserve, which is inflationary. As paper currencies continue to erode in value, gold will hold its value.”
Harry Barker, founder of De Pointe Research, agrees prices will keep rising but for different reasons.
“Over the past months, gold prices have been persistent in their upward trajectory. Given that the current geopolitical tensions show no sign of cooling off, I’m confident that these factors will continue to drive the price of gold throughout November,” Barker says.
Barker also pointed out that continued growth in the economies of the two largest consumers of gold, India and China, will likely continue to drive demand. This may offset any increase in supply that could come from plans to ramp up gold mining across Northern and Western Africa.
Get started on your gold investing journey today.
Prices may be stable in the short term
While precious metals investors will be heartened to hear prices are likely to continue climbing, it’s worth noting that it’s not clear how much movement there will be in November specifically.
“In terms of where gold is headed regarding its price, it’s more than likely it holds its current value,” says Steven Conners, founder and president of Conners Wealth Management. “I would not purchase gold as a momentum investment.”
Michael Martin, vice president of market strategy at TradingBlock, agrees prices may not rise much this month, but says that’s likely to be a short-term trend.
“Gold prices may stabilize somewhat in November following the election,” Martin says.”This could be short-lived, as neither party has a clear plan to address the growing deficit. In times of economic uncertainty, like the one we’re in, gold tends to outperform, though it may be a volatile journey upwards.”
Other external forces will also impact how much prices move this month.
“While we believe the current upward trajectory will continue, the question is if it is going to continue at the current pace or slower,” said Luciano Duque, chief investment officer and founder of C3 Bullion.
Doque says a messy election or escalation conflict in the Middle East or Ukraine could both create upward pressure and cause more movement this month.
How high could gold prices rise?
With so many variables, predicting a specific price increase for November is a challenge.
However, Alex Ebkarian, COO and co-founder of precious metals dealer Allegiance Gold, believes prices could “move to $3000 before the end of the year.”
Ebkarian says there are numerous reasons gold could hit this new record, including strong and ongoing purchases by the world’s central banks; a lower interest rate environment that makes gold more attractive compared to bonds; a weakening job market that could cause increased volatility; ongoing geopolitical tensions; a recession risk; the continued decline of the dollar; increased deficient spending; and continued high inflation.
“Gold stands to appreciate further this year and in the coming years for the reasons mentioned above,” Ebkarian says.
Although these are all positive signs for gold investors, it’s also worth noting that there isn’t a uniform agreement on which way prices will trend.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” says Dana J. Menard, CFP, RLP, CEPA, CBDA, CDAA and founder of Twin Cities Wealth Strategies. “However, I will admit that gold typically acts as an inflation hedge. Gold’s price has had an incredible run over the past 12 months, especially while inflation was high. Now that inflation has returned to normal from its highest level in decades, I would expect gold’s performance to also retreat back to its expected rate of return and down to earth from its recent outperformance.”
Ebkarian also warns that “gold is extremely volatile so there will always be short-term profit takers when its price reaches a significant key level. You can always expect some pullbacks due to profit taking.”
The bottom line
Still, there’s more reason than not to believe gold prices will continue climbing. And, conversely, most experts believe a big decline seems to be off-the-table.
“A $2,000 gold price is something we will probably never see again in our lifetime,” Duque says.
All of this is generally good news for those interested in adding gold to their portfolios in the coming months — especially if the plan is to hold the investment at least for the next year and beyond.