I've been extensively covering a dispute between the administration and the state of Texas over state-owned concertina wire fencing along 29 miles of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas.
The spat has taken a new turn, with Texas National Guard troops occupying Shelby Park, a city property directly adjacent to the river, and barring Border Patrol agents from entering.
As part of "Operation Lone Star", a state initiative to assist overworked Border Patrol agents dealing with the migrant surge that has been ongoing since just after President Biden took office, state troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard troops from the Texas Military Department began placing c-wire barriers along the Rio Grande to deter a wave of migrants expected to cross once Title 42 ended on May 11.
Late on the evening of January 10, the state of Texas took control of the park, ostensibly under Operation Lone Star, with National Guard troops erecting c-wire barriers farther up the bank from the river and around an area of land that includes the park.
The state's seizure of Shelby Park and its prevention of Border Patrol from accessing the area sent Prelogar back to the Supreme Court, where on January 12 she filed a "Supplemental Memorandum Regarding Emergency Application to Vacate the Appeal" in the c-wire case, formally captioned DHS v. Texas.
From her description, it's quite the standoff, with gates newly erected by the National Guard and armed personnel blocking "Border Patrol's normal access to the border through entry points", and a Texas Humvee preventing "Border Patrol from using an access road through the preexisting state border barrier".
Texas's new actions since the government's filing 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.
https://cis.org/Arthur/Texas-BorderBarrier-Spat-Takes-New-Turn-State-Seizes-Seals-Riverfront-Park
No comments:
Post a Comment