WASHINGTON—The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate federal authority over the international boundary between Mexico and Texas, after state officials won a lower court order blocking the U.S. Border Patrol from removing concertina wire Texas officers installed to deter migrants from crossing a 29-mile stretch of the Rio Grande.

The move represents another volley in the increasing conflict between Texas and the federal government over border enforcement. State troopers and National Guardsmen deployed by the state laid miles of razor wire as part of the state’s Operation Lone Star border security effort. The operation has spent or allocated more than $11 billion since 2021, with limited efficacy, and has sought to challenge the federal government’s sole authority over international borders.