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Texas Started Arresting Illegal Migrants In Defiance Of Biden Administration

January 20, 2024
Texas Started Arresting Illegal Migrants

Fed up with the Biden admin’s refusal to toughen enforcement of existing immigration and border security laws, the state of Texas started arresting immigrants who crossed into the country illegally and occupied a state border region park.

“Texas officials arrested migrants on suspicion of criminal trespassing at a park in Eagle Pass, Texas, late Wednesday night, intensifying a legal battle between Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration and escalating a showdown over border security policies,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

“Tensions in Texas come amid a record-high influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, which could spell problems for President Biden in an election year,” the outlet continued.

Federal immigration officials have commended Texas for its strategic decision to restrict the access of U.S. Border Patrol agents to Shelby Park and its surrounding area. This move, viewed positively by federal authorities, allows Border Patrol agents to redirect their focus to other critical areas along the porous border.

Despite the issuance of a federal cease-and-desist letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state continued to defy the directive. The letter explicitly outlined the requirement for Texas to end its interference with the unimpeded access of Border Patrol agents to the Shelby Park vicinity.

Failure to comply by Wednesday night would result in the matter being forwarded to the Justice Department for further review and potential actions, as reported by the L.A. Times.

“The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol,” wrote Jonathan E. Meyer, general counsel for the Homeland Security Department, according to the outlet. “Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities.”

While the responsibility to enforce immigration laws lies only with the federal government, Texas is creatively employing state laws to arrest migrants who have crossed the border illegally, the Times added.

As such, Texas AGl Ken Paxton disputed DHS’s claims and said in a three-page rebuttal letter that because “the facts and law side with Texas, the State will continue utilizing its constitutional authority to defend her territory.”

Homeland Security has a “lack of on-the-ground understanding of what is happening in Shelby Park,” Paxton added.

Last week, Abbott ordered National Guard troops and state authorities to seize the park, which serves as a key infiltration point for migrants that are entering the country illegally while also blocking Border Patrol agents from the area.

In addition to Guard troops, Abbott also ordered Texas Department of Public Safety officers and other law enforcement officials to assist,

“The Texas National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021. The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area,” the department said.

“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,” Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze told the New York Post.

Eagle Pass, Texas, officials alredy confirmed that state authorities have taken over the area. Shelby Park is a city property that sits adjacent to the Rio Grande River, which divides the U.S. and Mexico.

Border Patrol officials actually praised the initiative.

The agency’s union said in a statement that Abbott 

“is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them. His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”