In a come-and-take-it statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains defiant in Texas’ Constitutional right to protect itself from an invasion.
EAGLE PASS, Texas—A humble city park on the Texas side of the Mexican border has taken the national stage in a showdown between Texas and the federal government.
Texas National Guard seized Shelby Park on Jan. 10 and placed a wire gate at the entrance, blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering.
The 47-acre park, owned by the city of Eagle Pass, was being used as a staging area for Border Patrol agents under the direction of the Biden administration to process a massive wave of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the Rio Grande in December.
Now, the drainage area inside the park, once teeming with illegal immigrants, is empty; the Rio Grande flows silently, mostly undisturbed by illegal crossings at the end of January on a rare rainy day in south Texas.
A blue child’s jacket, men’s black Nike shoes, a silver thermal blanket, and a jumble of clothing caught in the razor wire remain as a reminder of the hordes of foreigners from around the world who entered Texas just a few weeks ago.
Texas guard members were busy assembling more razor wire this week, also called Concertina wire, to place on anti-climb fencing soon to be mounted on shipping containers lining the river, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
For guardsmen and officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) who also occupy the park, the dramatic decrease in crossings is a sign that the deterrent is working—at least for now.
“We have to do something,” said Rene Cordova, DPS Staff Sgt. and public information officer, while guardsmen worked in the background at the park preparing razor-wire barriers on Jan. 23.
“Do you think they want to solve this problem?” he asked. “There’s too much money.”
Sgt. Cordova told The Epoch Times that the Mexican cartels now make more money on illegal immigration than drugs.
The Border Patrol’s presence is a magnet for illegal immigrants who are looking for their “green uniforms” to “help them,” Sgt. Cordova said.
