Feds say Texas National Guard is stopping them from accessing part of the southern border near Eagle Pass as Biden Administration tries to cut razor wire used to slow migrant crossings
- Abbott ordered the National Guard to bar federal agents from key border crossings
- The White House has petitioned the Supreme Court for the right to tear down miles of new razor wire on the Rio Grande
- “Texas will continue to use every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis,” Abbott warned
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has blamed the Biden administration for banning federal agents from one of the hottest flashpoints on the southern border.
The White House has already demanded that the Supreme Court grant permission to tear down miles of razor wire that the state government has strung across a 30-mile stretch of the border around Eagle Pass.
Now the Texas National Guard has completely barred Border Patrol agents from the 2.5-mile section of Shelby Park and defiantly stationed military vehicles at the entrance to block access.
“That is not a decision we agreed to,” wrote Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, reporting the show of force on Facebook.
‘This is not something we wanted. This is not something we as a city asked for, I want to make that clear.’
Show of force: Texas National Guard vehicles have now blocked the Shelby Park focal point from federal agents, reducing their view of the sector’s border to a ‘narrow sliver’
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has vowed to use “every tool and strategy” to close the border
The number of recorded illegal crossings reached a record high of 301,983 in December and this number is expected to rise again as the weather improves
Tensions between state and federal authorities have been rising for months amid a surge in recorded illegal crossings, which reached a record high of 301,983 in December.
Immigration has become a flashpoint of the upcoming election, with both Biden and Trump making competing visits to the border on the same day.
Last month, Texas troopers began arresting migrants who crossed the border for criminal trespass before they could surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents and seek asylum.
The White House has asked the Supreme Court to overturn an order banning the removal of razor wire from the banks of the Rio Grande, which poses “a risk to human life.”
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said the Shelby Park deployment was uncalled for
The DOJ has said the blockade of Shelby Park has limited the view of the border there “to a narrow sliver of a single surveillance camera outside the newly fenced area.”
It also claims that state authorities denied border police access to a boat ramp and staging area previously used to inspect apprehended migrants.
“Border Patrol agents in a vehicle towing a boat to launch at the boat ramp requested access to Shelby Park, but the Texas National Guard denied them access to the area,” they wrote in the latest filing.
“Border Patrol agents also requested access to the staging area, but the Texas National Guard refused.”
A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department told ABC News the measure was intended “to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant border crossings in the park and the greater Eagle Pass area.”
The president used his State of the Union address to Congress to speak about the border crisis, particularly calling on Republicans to pass an immigration bill.
Senators from both parties struck a deal that would have tightened border policies and provided funding to reduce wait times for asylum hearings to six months, among other measures.
However, Republicans in the House of Representatives put the bill aside under pressure from Trump, who wanted to use the issue to defeat his opponent in the election campaign.
Abbott hosted Donald Trump when the former president visited Eagle Pass earlier this month
Abbott warned the US is in ‘imminent danger’ from an ‘invasion’ by ‘known and unknown terrorists’
More than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border between December 1 and December 31
“If my predecessor stands by instead of paying the bills and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, then join me in telling Congress to pass it. We can do it together,” Biden said.
Authorities expect an increase in attempted border crossings as the weather improves and Abbott warned that the White House will continue to feel the heat from Austin.
“Rather than enforce federal immigration laws, the Biden administration is providing unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country,” his spokesperson said.
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers and more barriers, using every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis.”