Texas authorities seized city property along the southern border, the mayor of Eagle Pass said in a statement Thursday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has taken control of the city’s Shelby Park, Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said in a statement posted to Facebook Thursday. Eagle Pass has seen recent surges in illegal immigration, experiencing mass crossings in recent months. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Central American Country Says Last Conversation With ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris Was Months Ago)
“The decision was made as part of Governor Abbott’s Emergency Declaration. The city of Eagle Pass played no role in the decision of the takeover of Shelby Park by the State of Texas,” Salinas said.
The city attorney in Eagle Pass is looking into the situation, Salinas said.
Abbott’s office continues to use concertina wire and other barriers to try to prevent migrants from entering the state by crossing the border illegally, which the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has been trying to fight through an ongoing lawsuit. In a Tuesday filing to the Supreme Court, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that granting the Biden administration’s request to cut Texas’ border wire will “needlessly endanger public safety.”
The DOJ has also sued Texas over its efforts to enforce legislation to arrest migrants for entering the state illegally.
Texas authorities have taken control over city property along the border in Eagle Pass, Texas
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— Jennie Taer 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@JennieSTaer) January 11, 2024
“Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.
More than 60 Republican lawmakers visited Eagle Pass on Jan. 3 to reiterate the need for border security funding. The city has roughly 28,000 residents and is limited in resources to handle the migrant flows, local officials have told the DCNF.
“Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden Administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country. 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,” Mahaleris added.
“The Texas National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021. The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area,” Texas Military Department Spokesperson Major Mike Perry told the DCNF.
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