EAGLE PASS, Texas — As anger rages in the ongoing Shelby Park dispute between the Department of Homeland Security and the state of Texas, the first casualty may be the truth. One part of the political story that remains unclear is the idea that Texas was prompted to occupy the park while thousands of migrants were crossing it each day. Another element of the state’s narrative that contradicts the reality on the ground is that Texas’ bold actions after the outbreak were responsible for slowing the pace of record-breaking migrant crossings witnessed in December. .
The truth is that by the time Texas took steps to fence off Shelby Park and expel Border Patrol agents, the park had already been cleared of migrants, and Mexican authorities were arresting migrants along the border and sending them across Mexico. Measures were being taken to send them back to the south. .
On Friday, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick addressed reporters outside the park, making commentary that seemed to contradict actual events before the occupation of the small Texas border park. Patrick continued to push the same story during a media blitz over the weekend, repeating the same false reports on major news networks.
At Eagle Pass, Patrick told reporters at the park, “weeks ago, months ago, there were thousands of people crossing, but no one was crossing. We have secured this part of the border. We secured it!” In making a statement at the park gate, Patrick gestured inside the occupied park, cut off from small border towns. The park, along the banks of the Rio Grande, includes a municipal golf course, baseball and soccer fields, a boat launch, and is currently the most heavily guarded stretch of the 4.5-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is one of the things that
I participated @tracegallagher upon @foxnewsnight. Eye stain: pic.twitter.com/WHLCNrWBYR
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) January 29, 2024
Over the weekend, Patrick appeared on Fox News and told Trace Gallagher that he was glad the Biden administration decided not to cut the power lines in the park. Patrick said that four months ago, 3,000 people were crossing the park every day. During a previous visit to the park, Patrick declared that the number had been reduced to zero due to measures taken by the state of Texas.
The problem with Patrick’s assessment of the first Battle of Shelby Park is that it’s simply not true. As recently as December, nearly 5,000 migrants flowed daily into the Shelby Park area, where Border Patrol agents, Texas authorities, and the Texas National Guard were able to handle the endless stream of migrants crossing the river and into the area. I couldn’t stop it. The wire, which is more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) long, has failed to stop the surge of thousands of migrants per day, using trash strewn along the Rio Grande to avoid injury as they march through the river. It was quickly defeated by immigrants.
Patrick’s story about a hypothetical battle to take over parks, stop hordes of immigrants with wires, and reduce crosswalks to zero is a story about Republican Mike, who recorded empty parks just 10 days before Texas took over the parks. Contradicts Speaker Johnson. The hypothetical battle to take control of the park never occurred, and Fox News, which has covered the region’s migrant crisis more than any other major TV news network, offered no rebuttal to Patrick’s false claims.
Razor wire in Texas is an effective deterrent to illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies.
We will continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/PE8wiMYaYI
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 24, 2024
Mr Patrick’s comments differ sharply from Mr Johnson’s assessment of how and why the December influx of migrants at the park was contained. In the course of its well-deserved impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the House has received little help from Mr. Patrick’s arguments, which differ from Speaker Johnson’s assessment. The two versions differ more than significantly, and the two versions of him presented are completely contradictory.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, on January 3, a delegation of 65 Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, visited the park area, which is a regular outdoor event in the Shelby Park area. only to discover that the thousands of immigrants who were there were not there. than a week ago.
In a Twitter post on Jan. 2, about 10 days before the state took over the park, Speaker Johnson tweeted the opposite, citing before-and-after photos that referenced the Shelby Park area. One photo taken in December showed thousands of migrants standing on a stage outdoors. Another photo, taken during his visit, showed the same occupied territory completely devoid of migrants. A statement on Twitter read: “The Biden administration has decided to divert a flood of illegal immigrants elsewhere to protect them from cameras during the @HouseGOP’s Eagle Pass visit. Don’t be fooled. They They continue to be released into our country.”
This is a comparison between Eagle Pass from just a few weeks ago and yesterday.
The Biden administration has decided to divert a flood of illegal immigrants elsewhere to avoid them appearing on camera. @HouseGOP‘s visit to Eagle Pass. Don’t be fooled, they are still released… pic.twitter.com/XzjPVq5xxB
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 2, 2024
In a previous report by Breitbart, Texas, a source said the Eagle Pass Border Patrol facility would increase migrant detention levels by accelerating the release of migrants to non-government shelters ahead of the January visit to Congress. He claimed that steps have been taken to lower the number and directly onto the streets of border cities.
This reporter wrote the article, which was quoted in the article on January 11, 2024 (footnote 2, page 1). letter Chairman Johnson to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, co-signed by Jim Jordan, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Dr. Mark E. Green, Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, dated the Shelby Park seizure. Same day. .
The letter asked Mayorkas about steps taken to reduce the detention level of immigrants at Eagle Pass and to divert foreign nationals who are headed to the United States and may enter the country through Eagle Pass or the Border Patrol. We requested documents and communications related to any efforts to slow or slow down the process. del rio sector.
Johnson’s request for information on foreign nationals heading to the U.S. to enter the country via Eagle Pass means there is no way Mexico could take action to stop migrants heading to the Shelby Park area or change their routes before the Speaker’s visit. It suggests a recognition that it has been changed or delayed.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Mexico to meet with President Andres Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) days before the Congressional delegation heads to Eagle Pass, and the Shelby… It turns out there are very few immigrants in the park.
After the Mexico meeting, AMLO asked the United States to provide $20 billion in financing to Latin American and Caribbean countries, and also asked for sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba to be lifted. Declining migrant traffic suggested AMLO would continue to make deals, but for how long and at what cost?
According to an article in Border Hawk News, Mexican soldiers actively patrol migrant crossing points, operate highway checkpoints to screen migrants, and fly migrants from Piedras Negras to areas further south in Mexico. has been shown to be excluded. These steps had not been taken prior to Prime Minister Blinken-Mayorkas’ visit to AMLO. Mexico has also stepped up measures to remove migrants from freight trains to slow their arrival on parts of its southwest border.
border hawk limited
Illegal border crossings at Eagle Pass plummet as Mexico tightens immigration enforcement in surrounding areas
A crackdown by Mexican authorities in Coahuila has significantly reduced illegal entry into Eagle Pass, Texas.
Border Hawk… pic.twitter.com/HjwoidttAN
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) January 26, 2024
Either Joe Biden made the immigrants disappear, or the media on both sides of the border were asleep and missed the epic first battle at Shelby Park, leading up to Governor Patrick’s “We secured it!” be. Weekend victory speech.
In fact, the real skirmish between the Biden administration and the state of Texas is a letter between the Department of Homeland Security and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the state’s imposition of conditions for Border Patrol access to Shelby. It consists of a contest. park. The state allows Border Patrol agents to enter the park and fly airboats freely. Others must apply for permission to enter to rescue migrants.
The general explanation presented led people to believe that legal disputes in court regarding the cutting or manipulation of bellows wire between the parties are binary. “Biden wants to cut the wire, but Texas won’t allow it.” That narrative oversimplifies the issue at hand. What is missing from the dialogue regarding pending litigation is the fact that both parties agree to telegraph communications in courtroom disputes. Must Be cut.
The court granted the injunction, as Breitbart News Senior Legal Contributor Ken Krukowski, a former White House and Justice Department lawyer, reported, ruling in favor of Texas on this issue. The judgment concluded as follows: “By September 2023, Texas has installed more than 49 miles of C-wire. [the Eagle Pass] area. Both the Border Patrol and the state of Texas agree that C-wires must be cut in the event of an emergency, such as a migrant drowning or fear of heat stroke. (Emphasis added) Problems arise when Border Patrol agents cut power lines for non-emergency reasons without prior notification to Texas. ”
Promoting bellows wire as the ultimate border security solution that both sides agree will sometimes have to be cut takes focus away from the real results-based policy changes needed to secure the border. I end up.
The simple fact is that wires break easily. Otherwise, we would be telegraphing war rather than soldiers. Like any other barrier, it slows people down. But without real policies behind the barrier that deliver meaningful results, touting its value is harmful and only fuels a false sense of security.
Randy Clark / Breitbart
Nothing new or revolutionary was on the table in the battle for Shelby Park. This political stunt will prevent Texas from experiencing another frenzied rush of migrants elsewhere if Mexico’s efforts to increase law enforcement to slow the flow of migrants stall or fail. You won’t be able to deal with it either.
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.
