Texas state officials blocked federal patrol agents from entering the border following Governor Abbott’s emergency order that gave state guards “full control” over the public park in the area.
The Texas National Guard vs. U.S. Border Patrol
CBS spoke to government officials who confirmed that the Texas National Guard banned the U.S. Border Patrol from entering the park, which runs along the Rio Grande. This river forms the border between Texas and Mexico.
The question of authority
One of the officials told CBS that Texas state officials “are denying entry to Border Patrol agents to conduct our duties.” The official added that they are unsure “what authority (Texas officials) have over the federal government.”
The DOJ reacted
The DOJ’s latest filing to the Supreme Court read, “Texas’s new actions demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies.”
Eagle Pass, a town at the center of it all
A 2.5-mile stretch of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass became the center point of the dispute between Texas and the U.S.. In 2023, Texas installed a floating barrier. The DOJ warned Governor Abbott that it “poses a risk to navigation, as well as public safety, in the Rio Grande River, and it presents humanitarian concerns.
The town’s Mayor reacted
Speaking about the latest move from the Texan authorities, the Mayor of Eagle Pass, Rolando Salinas, opposed Abbott’s actions. He wondered why the state closed the 50-acre park, considering the number of migrants is dropping. He confirmed the Texas authorities gave Eagle Pass officials no warning.
Not what the town wanted
Salinas said, “That is not a decision that we agreed to,” adding, “This is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city.”
White House spoke up
A White House spokesperson, Angelo Fernández Hernández, said that Governor Abbott is using “extreme political stunts” to “demonize and dehumanize people,” making it harder and “more dangerous for Border Patrol to do their jobs.”
Blasting Abbott
The White House spokesperson continued, “Governor Abbott has repeatedly proven that he is not interested in solutions and only seeks to politicize the border.” The statement added, “The president has been clear that we need adequate resources and policy changes and that our immigration system is broken.”
Abbott defended the move
Governor Abbott simply shared, “Texas has the legal authority to control ingress into any geographic location in the state of Texas.” Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, issued a statement about the situation.
“Every tool” possible
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis,” said Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott.
Abbott doubled down on his claims
The Republican Governor gave a radio interview to Dana Loesch, a former spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, explaining, “The only thing that we’re not doing is we’re not shooting people who come across the border because, of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder.”
All hands on deck
Abbott added, “We are using every tool that can be used, from building a border wall to building these border barriers to passing this law that I signed that led to another lawsuit by the Biden administration, where I signed a law making it illegal for somebody to enter Texas from another country. And they’re subject to arrest and subject to deportation.”
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