Tensions between federal officials and Texas authorities continued to rise Friday over access to the hotly contested border area at Eagle Pass that migrants have used to cross into the US illegally by the thousands.
The same day Customs and Border Protection released its operational figures for December — showing a record 302,034 encounters along the Southwest border in December, a clear indication that the migrant crisis is not slowing down.
Gov. Greg Abbott marched state troopers into Shelby Park on Jan. 11 and erected fences, barricades and razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande, which serves as the border with Mexico, in an effort to keep people from crossing.
The takeover was challenged by the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed federal officials needed access to the area and demanded it be cleared by Friday.
Four members of the National Guard at the entrance to Shelby Park told The Post that they had not seen any federal authorities at the park despite the deadline to relinquish control at 1 p.m. local time.
Members of the Texas National Guard patrol Shelby Park on Friday. James Keivom
“They didn’t approach us and we never saw anyone from the Border Patrol or anywhere like that,” one of the guards told The Post before others agreed.
Armed guards stood at the entrance to the park on Friday evening, allowing officials and members of the public, who were allowed to enter the golf course within the 47-acre park.
However, the river banks are off-limits and fortified with numerous coils of razor wire and guarded by Texas National Guard troops.
Tensions continued to build between Texas officials and federal authorities on Friday. James Keivom
Shipping containers also remain parked on the banks of the river to prevent people from crossing.
An adviser to Abbott on the border crisis confirmed the deployment of additional resources from the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety on Friday.
Mike Banks writes on X: “[We] continue to increase and deploy staff and resources to hold the line. We are grateful for the support from our fellow Texans and Americans as we defend ourselves [President] Biden’s open borders policy.”
Abbott has repeatedly blamed the Biden Administration for allowing illegal immigration into the flooded Texas border town.
Shipping containers also remain parked on the banks of the river to prevent people from crossing. James Keivom
He said Wednesday that Texas’ right to self-defense “supersedes any federal statute to the contrary,” and vowed to “continue to use this razor wire to repel illegal immigration.”
Biden claimed last year that his administration would get tough on those trying to cross into the US and deport anyone who crosses into the country illegally and without first making an appointment with border officials.
However, border patrol agents are still under orders to arrest and process hundreds of thousands of people caught crossing illegally every month and then release them into the US to claim asylum.
Abbott’s acquisition was challenged by the Department of Homeland Security. James Keivom
Figures released by the Border Patrol on Friday acknowledged they had deported fewer than 500,000 people in the eight months between May and the end of the year, less than one in five of the total number of migrants found at the Southwest Border in 2023.
In fiscal year 2023, more encounters were recorded at the southern border than in any other year since the government began keeping records in 1960 — with an estimated total of 2.4 million.
A group of migrants find a gap in the razor wire barrier south of Eagle Pass. ZUMAPRESS.com
Immigrants crossing the Rio Grande often congregated at Shelby Park. Blocking off the area, Abbott maintains, serves as an effective deterrent.
Federal officials have criticized Abbott for blocking their access to the area, arguing that they cannot provide emergency aid to migrants in need.
Abbott’s stance has been bolstered by official endorsements from 25 GOP governors across the country who have expressed support for Texas’ “constitutional right to self-defense.”
Gov. Greg Abbott marched state troopers into Shelby Park on Jan. 11 and erected fences, barricades and razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande, which serves as the border with Mexico, in an effort to keep people from crossing. AP
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in using every tool and strategy, including razor wire fencing, to secure the border,” a statement released by the Republican Governors Association read.
The Justice Department threatened last month to sue Texas if it enforces a new state law enacted starting in March that allows local authorities to arrest, jail, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants.
Eagle Pass resident Raul Villanueva, 69, a taxi driver, told The Post on Friday that since Gov. Abbott’s move in Shelby Park fewer immigrants have been passing through.
President Biden claimed last year that his administration would get tough on those trying to cross into the US and deport anyone who crossed into the country illegally and without making an appointment with border officials first. AP
“They’re getting overdue in Mexico … Now they know they’re going to get caught and don’t want to cross.”
However, Villanueva warned the congestion won’t last forever and he expects the cartels that decide who can cross and where at the Mexican border to try to flood it again.
“The reality is when they say, ‘OK they can come,’ we’re going to have a big mess,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
