(Headline USA) The Texas National Guard seized control of a park near the southern border this week in an effort to crack down on illegal immigration in the area.
The state government took control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Thursday night, blocking Border Patrol from entering the area. Law enforcement officers with the state set up razor wire and fences to section it off.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said the city did not request the state action, but noted it was part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency declaration in response to the ongoing border crisis.
The union representing Border Patrol officers was quick to make clear that Texas’s action in the area helps the federal agents by making sure that illegal migrants are deterred.
“Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them,” National Border Patrol Council Brandon Judd said in a statement. “His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”
However, the Biden administration blasted the move, with a senior immigration official claiming there is no “operational law enforcement benefit to try to block federal authorities from being able to do their job.”
Texas has been feuding with the federal government over the Biden administration’s failure to respond to the border crisis for the past several months. Most recently, the Justice Department sued Texas for deporting illegal immigrants detained by local law enforcement, accusing the state of overstepping its authority.
Abbott, however, has argued that Texas is being forced to take matters into its own hands since the Biden administration continues to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants to cross into the state every month.
“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 spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement on Thursday.
“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.”
