Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) took his state's immigration crisis into his own hands by seizing control of Eagle Pass Park— a popular spot for illegal migrants to make landfall after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
This week, Texas state officials took control of a riverfront park in an effort to combat the state's growing migrant problem as they aim to arrest illegal aliens under Operation Lonestar.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said that Texas seized Shelby Park by building fences to keep citizens and even U.S. border agents out without notice as Abbott fights President Joe Biden's reckless open border policies that encourage illegal immigration.
"That is not a decision that we agreed to," Salinas said during a speech. "This is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city."
Footage showed that fences blocked off the entrances while military trucks were parked inside the 50-acre public park.
"They will be denying access," Salinas said. "Again, this is not the city of Eagle Pass denying access to the park. This is the state using that emergency declaration."
"The Texas Military Department confirms the TX National Guard has seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, and is restricting Border Patrol from accessing the area, saying the Feds' perpetuate illegal crossings,'" Fox News border correspondent Bill Melugin reported. "This is the area where Border Patrol has been cutting TX razor wire. Razor wire and fences are now deployed to block the area from the public and federal government.
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The Texas Military Department said it has maintained a security presence at Shelby Park since 2021. They stated that the seizure of the park— where mass illegal crossings occur— is to prepare for expected illegal migrant surges and to sustain immigration crossings in the park and the Eagle Pass area.
"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," Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement.
In response, Biden’s Department of Justice has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to take action against the state, saying “Texas’s new actions since the government’s filing demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies.”
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