The Texas Military Department has taken over a city-owned golf course at the busiest border crossing along the Rio Grande. The Texas National Guard then removed U.S. Border Patrol agents from the park and took full control of this section of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Border Patrol officials told Breitbart Texas that Texas National Guard troops quickly moved into Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Thursday. Guards erected a fence around the park and instructed Border Patrol agents to leave the area.
“This move will only increase tensions at the ground level between states and Border Patrol agents who are bound by policies set in Washington, D.C.,” the official said. If the number of railroad crossings seen in December increases again, we will be among the first countries called to respond if a humanitarian crisis of this scale occurs again. ”
The Texas Department of Military Affairs acted quickly to secure the area under Governor Greg Abbott's state of emergency and Operation Lone Star authority. It's unclear what the National Guard would do if migrants tried to cross the border into Shelby Park.
Texas Department of Military Affairs
On Friday morning, the Texas National Guard detained a small group of migrants along the Texas-built border wall near Shelby Park, as Breitbart Texas monitored the area. It is not clear what the guards will do with the migrants.
The Texas National Guard detains a small group of migrants along the Texas-built border wall in Eagle Pass. (Randy Clark/Breitbart, Texas)
Breitbart Texas referred questions about the state's legal authority to ban federal agents from parks to the Texas Governor's Office and the Texas Department of State Military Affairs. Sources working under U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Border Patrol agents have a legal right under federal law to enter any property, including private property.
The Texas Department of State Military Affairs told Breitbart Texas:The current posture is to prepare for a future surge in illegal immigration by restricting access to organizations that regularly allow illegal immigration into the park and the area around Eagle Pass. ” The spokesperson reiterated that the National Guard has been stationed inside the park since 2021 with security points and temporary fencing. Breitbart responded with a follow-up question.
The governor's office has not yet issued an official statement.
The city of Eagle Pass issued a statement Thursday saying it was notified of the park takeover by the Texas Department of Public Safety and confirmed that the action was taken in accordance with the governor's state of emergency declaration. “The City of Eagle Pass played no role in the State of Texas' decision to take over Shelby Park,” the statement added. The city has asked the city attorney to investigate the legal position on this issue.
The park has been the site of a standoff between the Border Patrol and the state of Texas' efforts to secure the region's borders. Border Patrol agents regularly cut razor-edge barriers to allow migrants who have crossed the river to enter the park. The Border Patrol is currently prohibited from cutting wires pending an appeal of the Justice Department's case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In recent days, the number of border crossings has decreased compared to the first quarter of FY24. Breitbart Texas reported that in the two weeks between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, officials in the Del Rio area arrested about 35,000 immigrants (2,500 per day).
During December, officials in the Del Rio area arrested a record-breaking 71,000 immigrants, Breitbart Texas reported. The previous record for the Del Rio area was set in August 2022, when agents arrested 52,735 immigrants. The arrests of more than 71,000 immigrants in December surpassed that record by nearly 35 percent.
Adding unofficial numbers to the CBP report reveals that Del Rio sector agents arrested more than 150,000 immigrants in the first quarter of the new fiscal year.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
bob price He is an associate editor and senior news contributor on the Breitbart Texas Border Team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team.Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston What is your point? sunday morning talk show.He is also the president of blue wonder cancer care products. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
Editor's note: December arrest numbers are based on unofficial Border Patrol reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas. This number is subject to change once the official report is released. The December Southwest Land Border Encounter Report is expected to be released by mid-January.
