The Texas National Guard made national headlines this week when it seized a strip of land in one of the biggest illegal border crossing hotspots in the Lone Star State from federal border officials. However, what was initially hailed as a move to curb the record-breaking illegal immigration appears to be just another round of border theater by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
The Texas Military Department claimed that it took control of Shelby Park, a 2.5-mile long stretch along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, to “prepare for future illegal immigrant surges” and keep out federal border officials who “perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area.”
NEW: The Texas Military Department confirms the TX National Guard has seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass (city property where mass illegal crossings are), and is restricting Border Patrol from accessing the area, saying the Feds “perpetuate illegal crossings”. This is… pic.twitter.com/29UqFmWDsx
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 12, 2024
Eagle Pass is a high-traffic area for migrants to cross the U.S. border illegally and has been for years.
It’s a total free for all in Eagle Pass right now. Mass illegal crossing taking place for over an hour and a half. Almost 2 years to the day we saw 15,000+ Haitians under the bridge in Del Rio, we now have thousands of predominantly Venezuelans gathering under Eagle Pass bridge. pic.twitter.com/VkfUQnexGZ
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 20, 2023
Abbott and the Border Patrol Union
