Texas National Guard takes control of park that had become illegal immigrant staging area

Texas National Guard troops have taken control of a park that had become a key staging area for newly crossed illegal immigrants in Eagle Pass, a border town that in recent weeks has become Ground Zero for the migrant surge.

The aggressive move is the latest escalation in Texas’s battle with the federal government over the border and appears aimed at blocking access by the Border Patrol, which had been using the park to help illegal immigrants cross the Rio Grande.

“The Texas National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021,” the Texas Military Department said. “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.”

Locals said the park was closed without any notice.

Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said Shelby Park belongs to the city and the takeover was done without his permission.

He said the state used a disaster declaration to justify the move.

The move surprised locals in part because Eagle Pass has seen crossings drop this year after being overrun last month.

Both U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited Eagle Pass last week to get a sense for things.

The Rio Grande is shallow at this point in its course, making it a prime spot for migrants to wade across.

Texas has tried to discourage those crossings with a floating wall, made of buoys, and piles of razor wire.

The Biden administration has sued to tear down the wall and has instructed agents to cut through the wire, which spurred a retaliatory lawsuit from Texas.

The feds also have sued to stop enforcement of Texas’s new law creating a state penalty for illegal immigration, attempting to mirror the federal law and give state police a legal basis for arresting illegal immigrants.