Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday that Texas has no plans to comply with the Biden administration's order to allow Border Patrol access to riverside parks that are at the center of border disputes.
The defiance follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that clears the way for the Border Patrol to cut or remove razor wire that Texas installed around Shelby Park.The area has become a popular passageway for immigrants to illegally enter the United States.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Texas took control of the park this month and began refusing entry to Border Patrol agents, intensifying the feud between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration, which he says is not doing enough to deter illegal immigrants. They are accusing the government of not taking action.
Following Monday's Supreme Court ruling, Texas announced it would install more rows of razor wire. The fence has become one of Abbott's most visible measures to deter migrants in the border city of Eagle Pass.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a letter to the state on Tuesday asking for re-admission to Shelby Park, which borders the Rio Grande. It asked the state of Texas to respond by Friday.
National Guard soldiers guard the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Paxton told Fox News earlier Thursday that Texas has no plans to meet the deadline.
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Paxton questioned the possibility of a physical confrontation between state and federal authorities and predicted the issue would be fought in court.
That prediction was echoed by Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, who told Fox News Thursday that it would be “difficult” to pit Border Patrol agents against their opponents, the Texas National Guard. Ground.
Razor wire is seen on the banks of the Rio Grande River at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Another Border Patrol official told Fox News that each agency knew they had to “respond to direct orders from their superiors,” adding that there was plenty of mutual respect on both sides.
FOX News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
A DHS spokesperson told Fox News that enforcement of immigration law is a “responsibility of the federal government.”
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“Rather than helping reduce irregular migration, Texas is making it harder for front-line workers to do their jobs and enforce legal consequences,” the spokesperson said. “We can enforce the law and manage it in a safe, humane and orderly manner.”
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
