Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday took control of a public park in a border city plagued by illegal immigration without warning, its mayor alleged Thursday.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said the state seized Shelby Park and erected fencing to keep citizens (and even federal border agents) out without warning as part of Abbott’s emergency declaration to combat the migration crisis.
Shelby Park, which borders the Rio Grande, has been inundated with migrants crossing into Texas via the dangerous river.
“That is not a decision we agreed upon,” Salinas said in an impassioned speech Thursday.
“This is not something we wanted. “This is not something we have asked for as a city.”
By Wednesday night, fences had already blocked the entrances and military trucks were parked inside, video Salinas shared shows.
According to Salinas, the Texas Department of Public Safety told Eagle Pass officials that the state was taking over the 50-acre public park through a disaster declaration, an authority Texas officials have used before at the border.
In addition to not offering a timeline, the state did not disclose how long it anticipated maintaining control of the park, meaning a host of events and festivals planned for the spring could be canceled.
Shelby Park touches the Rio Grande, where thousands of migrants swim from Mexico to the United States each month. AFP via Getty Images
“They will deny you access,” Salinas said. “Again, this is not the city of Eagle Pass denying access to the park. “This is the state that uses that emergency declaration.”
The abrupt blockade has even extended to US Border Patrol agents, insiders told CBS News.
Texas National Guard units prevented border agents from patrolling Shelby Park, which has been used in recent weeks to hold migrants in an outdoor holding area before being transported for further processing.
“They are denying entry to Border Patrol agents to perform our duties,” the official told the outlet, adding that they are not sure “what authority (Texas officials) have over the federal government.”
An Abbott spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the notice was sent without warning.
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS officers and more barriers, using all tools and strategies to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis,” spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas claims the state gave no advance notice before taking control of the 50-acre public park. AP
The Department of Public Safety referred questions to the Texas Military Department, which also could not answer how much notice the city of Eagle Pass was given.
“The Texas National Guard has maintained a security checkpoint and temporary barrier presence in Shelby Park since 2021. The current posture is to prepare for future waves of illegal immigrants and restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and at Eagle Pass. area,” a department spokesperson said in an email.
A message left for Salinas was not immediately returned.
The mayor said he was pursuing all legal avenues to fight the takeover.
In addition to being angry about the state’s seizure of city land, Salinas questioned why the move comes after illegal crossings decreased this week once Mexico stepped up security and migrant deportations.
The closure was made as part of Abbott’s emergency declaration to combat the immigration crisis. James Keivom
Arrests for illegal crossings into the United States from Mexico fell to about 2,500 on Monday, down from more than 10,000 on several days in December, according to U.S. authorities.
Daily arrests are between 400 and 500, Salinas said.
However, just last month, Eagle Pass had been a hub for illegal immigration and thousands of people crossed the border over the summer.
The surge prompted Abbott to renew an emergency declaration that “the increase in people illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border posed a continuing and imminent threat of disaster.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn