EAGLE PASS, Texas — Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer has sent a second letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanding that Texas have full and unhindered access to border city parks and boat ramps. requested permission. The Texas Military Department occupied Shelby Park in early January. Tuesday's letter sets a January deadline for the state to give Border Patrol full access to Shelby Park in the small Texas border town of Eagle Pass and other areas along 4.5 miles of the Rio Grande. It's set for the 26th.
The letter, attached below, frees the Border Patrol to cut wires and fences installed by states to allow access to the border under statutory authority, and within 40 kilometers of the border. It is a direct reference to Monday's U.S. Supreme Court order on entering private property without a warrant. The 5-4 ruling suspended a lower court ruling that had previously blocked such lawsuits.
The letter states the following regarding this issue: “As you know, the Supreme Court yesterday reversed an injunction that prohibited the department from cutting or moving the bellows wire that Texas had installed along the border, except in an emergency, and gave the department its rights. To cut and relocate the bellows wire installed by the State of Texas to meet its statutory obligations. The department must also have the ability to access the border in the Shelby Park area, which is currently closed by the state of Texas. ”
The letter requests free access to several areas in and around the park, stating:
“In summary, we request full access to the Shelby Park area, currently blocked by the State of Texas, to patrol the border and directly monitor the Rio Grande, in accordance with the responsibilities and statutory authorities of the U.S. Border Patrol. However, this includes, but is not limited to, the following locations:
- The Eagle Pass International Bridge Port of Entry II, also known as the Camino Real International Bridge, is accessible 24 hours a day from the Loop 480 access road. This includes under ports of entry.
- The entrance to the federal border barrier mentioned above on Ford Street, Main Street near the intersection of Rio Grande Street and Ryan Street, and at the end of Ryan Street for Border Patrol to pass through and conduct line surveillance duties. It is accessed through two entrances. Patrols the Shelby Park area 24 hours a day.
- Pursuant to a perpetual easement, there is full access to the boat ramp at the Main Street entrance to Shelby Park.
- Unlimited access to the entire Shelby Park area in the event of an emergency. This includes, but is not limited to, medical and rescue operations, as well as assistance to other agents and police officers.
“Please ensure that your state provides the above access to the U.S. Border Patrol by January 26, 2024,” the letter continues. “If the State denies some, but not all, requested access, please specify which access it intends to deny.”
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As Breitbart Texas reported, the first DHS letter to Paxton in response to the Shelby Park seizure was sent on January 10, but no resolution was reached by the specified deadline. Ta. The letter states that states deny Border Patrol access to parks and set conditions for entry into parks, allowing Border Patrol agents to patrol private land within 45 miles of the border without a warrant. He claimed that he did not respect the authority of the public.
Additionally, the DHS letter asserted that the site of the temporary park entrance gate installed by state officials is federal land. The land in question was acquired by the federal government after a bitter legal battle with the city of Eagle Pass over the right to erect a border fence, mandated by the 2006 Secure Fence Act.
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.
