Texas Military Seizes City-Owned Border Park -- Ejects Federal Agents

The Texas Military Department seized a city-owned golf course located in the busiest border crossing point along the Rio Grande. The Texas National Guard then ejected U.S. Border Patrol agents from the park and took total control of this section of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border Patrol officials told Breitbart Texas that Texas National Guard units quickly moved into Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Thursday. The guardsmen erected barriers around the park and instructed Border Patrol agents to leave the area.

“This move only serves to raise tensions at the ground level between the State and Border Patrol agents who are bound by policy set in Washington D.C.,” the official stated. If the number of crossings we saw in December return, we will be the first ones the State calls to deal with another humanitarian crisis of that magnitude.”

The Texas Military Department moved quickly to secure the area under the authority of Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency declaration and Operation Lone Star. It is not clear what the National Guard soldiers will do if any migrants attempt to cross the border into Shelby Park.

As Breitbart Texas watched the area Friday morning, Texas National Guard soldiers detained a small migrant group along a Texas-built border wall not far from Shelby Park. It is not clear what the guardsmen will do with the migrants.

Breitbart Texas reached out to the Office of the Texas Governor and the Texas Military Department with questions regarding the State’s legal authority to lock federal agents out of the park. Border Patrol agents have the statutory right under federal law to enter any property, including private property, a source operating under U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated.

The Texas Military Department told Breitbart Texas that 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 spokesperson reiterated the National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barriers in the park since 2021.  Breitbart responded with additional questions.

The governor’s office has yet to issue an official statement.

The City of Eagle Pass issued a statement on Thursday stating they were notified of the park takeover by the Texas Department of Public Safety and confirmed the action was taken under the Governor’s emergency declaration. “The City of Eagle Pass played no role in the decision of the takeover of Shelby Park by the State of Texas,” the statement added. The City asked the city attorney to look into their legal position in the matter.

The park has been the scene of confrontation between the Border Patrol and Texas’s efforts to secure the border in this area. Border Patrol agents have routinely cut the razor-wire barriers to allow migrants who have crossed the river to enter the park. The Border Patrol is currently enjoined from cutting the wire pending an appeal of a DOJ lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In recent days, the number of border crossings declined from the numbers seen in the first quarter of FY24. In the two weeks surrounding the Christmas and New Year holidays, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended nearly 35,000 migrants (2,500 per day), Breitbart Texas reported.

During the month of December, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended a record-shattering 71,000 migrants, Breitbart Texas reported. The Del Rio Sector’s prior record was set in August 2022 when agents apprehended 52,735 migrants. The December apprehension of more than 71,000 migrants exceeds that record by nearly 35 percent. 

Adding the unofficial numbers to the CBP reports reveals Del Rio Sector agents apprehended more than 150,000 migrants in the first quarter of the new fiscal year.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.

Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Apprehension numbers for December come from unofficial Border Patrol reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas. The numbers are subject to change in official reports when they are released. The December Southwest Land Border Encounters report is due to be released by mid-January.