To control the surge of illegal migrants, the Texas National Guard and state troopers seized the 47-acre Shelby Park, put up concertina wires, and prohibited the public from accessing the Eagle Pass.
This move prevented border agents from accessing a portion of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, said the Department of Justice in their court filing.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said in a statement that the park will be closed indefinitely and that the Texas government made this move to prevent immigrants from illegally entering the US through Texas.
According to the DOJ, the National Guard blocked border agents from accessing a 2.5-mile stretch of the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas.
State authorities also denied CBP of using their boats to patrol the Rio Grande. The DOJ seeks the US Supreme Court to intervene in the ongoing litigation between the state and the Federal government.
On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended their takeover and said that “Texas has the legal authority to control ingress into any geographic location in the state of Texas.”
Before this, Abbott, through his spokesperson Renae Eze said, that they are using different strategies to limit people from crossing the border illegally and slammed Biden’s open-door policy on immigration.
“Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies. Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden Administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country.”
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis,” said Eze.
Texas Military Department however clarified that residents will be allowed to enter the park.
The take-over comes after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited the city where he met with CBP agents.
Mayorkas is currently facing impeachment proceedings as Republican lawmakers demand for him to step down for failing to perform his duties of managing the US-Mexico border.
Under Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star initiative, state troopers and National Guard members were sent to various parts of the Texas-Mexico border where they set up rolls of concertina wire.
They have also transported almost a hundred thousand illegal migrants to “shelter cities”.
As explained by Governor Abbott, this initiative aims to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies.
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