Amid the still-worsening border chaos created by the policies of President Joe Biden, Texas has refused to accept what the Secretary of Homeland Security still can't bring himself to call a "crisis." The Lone Star State's latest action on Thursday: seizing a swath of city-owned parkland along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, kicking federal border agents off the property, and enforcing the international border with Mexico.
Shelby Park — the land seized by the Texas National Guard — sits adjacent to the International Bridge where surges of illegal immigrants stream into the U.S. Over the span of just a few days in December, some 12,000 illegal immigrants unlawfully streamed into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, reinforcing its status one of the main entry points for masses of illegal crossers.
According to Texas officials — who notified Eagle Pass that the park was being taken over by the state — national guardsmen have "maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021" and the "current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area."
As caravans of migrants are moving through Mexico toward the U.S. border, we are making clear that Texas will be a tough place to cross. https://t.co/G4LJfKfiK3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 12, 2024
Rather than being upset that they've been booted from Shelby Park by Texas officials, the Border Patrol union welcomed the state action. In a statement, the Border Patrol union said that "Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them." The union further explained that Abbott "seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier," the statement added.
NEW: The Border Patrol union confirms to me that agents are being blocked by Texas soldiers, and the union is praising Abbott for seizing control. @BPUnion statement:
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 12, 2024
“Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them. His seizing control of Shelby…
It's amazing how upset Biden Admin officials get when BP agents are freed up to actually patrol the border instead of processing massive numbers of surrendering illegal aliens.https://t.co/7GeQQsJutu
— Border Patrol Union - NBPC (@BPUnion) January 12, 2024
What's notable in this situation is that Border Patrol, a federal agency, is siding with Texas Governor Greg Abbott over Biden and Mayorkas. And why wouldn't they? The Biden administration has continued to make the job of border agents exceedingly impossible, often taking them off their regular duties to instead act as drivers, babysitters, and chaperones to help with processing record numbers of illegal immigrants.
At the same time, the federal government has ordered its agents to dismantle physical barriers set up by Texas, sued to block state policies to address the crisis, and insisted that Biden's policy is "humane" and what Texas is doing is somehow morally wrong.