Texas Attorney General Rejects Biden Administration’s Request for Full Access to Border Park
Eagle Pass, Texas – The battle over Shelby Park, a city-owned public park along the southern border of Texas, continues to escalate as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton forcefully rejected a request from the Biden administration to grant federal immigration officials full access to the park. The state National Guard has sealed off the park with razor wire, fencing, and soldiers, preventing Border Patrol agents from processing migrants in the area. The Department of Homeland Security had given Paxton until Friday to comply with their request, but he refused, stating that Texas would not allow the area to become an “unofficial and unlawful port of entry.”
Shelby Park, located in the border town of Eagle Pass, was once a busy area for illegal crossings by migrants. However, since the Texas National Guard soldiers took control of the park earlier this year, they have been setting up barriers and instructing migrants to return to Mexico across the Rio Grande. The Texas Department of Public Safety has also started arresting some adult migrants who enter the park on state criminal trespassing charges.
The actions taken by Texas officials have been met with both support and criticism. Governor Greg Abbott and other Texas officials argue that their efforts are aimed at discouraging unauthorized crossings and blame the federal government for not doing enough to deter them. However, the Biden administration argues that Texas is preventing Border Patrol agents from patrolling the Rio Grande, processing migrants, and providing assistance to those in distress.
The issue of immigration enforcement falls under federal responsibility, and Texas state officials are not legally authorized or trained to screen migrants for asylum, arrest them for immigration violations, or deport them to a foreign country. Nevertheless, Governor Abbott signed a law last month that would allow Texas officials to arrest migrants on illegal entry state-level charges and force them to return to Mexico. The Justice Department is seeking to block this law before it takes effect in March.
The Supreme Court recently allowed Border Patrol to cut the razor wire that Texas had assembled near the riverbanks of the Rio Grande, pausing a lower court order that had prohibited the agency from doing so. However, the razor wire in Shelby Park remains in place since federal officials have not been granted full access to the area.
The dispute over Shelby Park may end up in federal court if the Biden administration decides to sue Texas over the matter. While the Supreme Court has not ruled on Texas’ seizure of the park, it remains a possibility. Governor Abbott, who has received support from other Republican governors across the country, argues that he is defending his state from an “invasion.” The White House, however, has criticized his policies as inhumane and counterproductive.
In recent months, the number of illegal border crossings has reached an all-time high, with over 302,000 migrants processed at and in between ports of entry along the southern border last month. However, these crossings have since plummeted, which officials attribute to increased Mexican immigration enforcement and a typical decline after the holiday season.
As the battle over Shelby Park continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the federal government and Texas will resolve their differences regarding immigration enforcement along the southern border.
