Texas Military Department

As the fury heats up in the ongoing Shelby Park dispute between the Department of Homeland Security and the State of Texas, the first casualty may be the truth. One part of the political narrative that is less than forthcoming is the idea that Texas was prompted to seize the park while thousands of migrants were crossing daily. Another element of the state’s narrative in opposition to the reality on the ground is that bold actions by Texas after the seizure occurred are responsible for slowing down the record-breaking levels of migrant crossings witnessed in December.

A growing list of Republican governors announced they stand with Texas Governor Greg Abbott in the State’s showdown against the Biden administration over the seized border park in Eagle Pass, Texas.

The Texas Military Department says it will continue to “hold the line in Shelby Park” in their efforts to “deter and prevent unlawful entry into the State of Texas.” Under Operation Lone Star orders from Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas National Guard’s actions continue despite a second demand letter from the Department of Homeland Security to release control of the park seized by the State earlier this month. Governor Abbott pledged to continue deploying razor wire along the Rio Grande border with Mexico.

Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer sent a second demand letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanding the state of Texas grant full, unimpeded access to a border city park and boat ramp. The Texas Military Department seized Shelby Park in early January. Tuesday’s letter sets a deadline of January 26, for the state to grant the Border Patrol full access to Shelby Park and other areas along a 2.5 mile stretch of the Rio Grande in the small Texas border town of Eagle Pass.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Army National Guard soldiers remain posted at temporary gates erected at the entrance to a city-owned park along the Rio Grande. The park was seized by order of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and closed off to Border Patrol agents unless their entrance into the area is first coordinated with state law enforcement and the Texas Military Department.

A strongly worded letter from the Department of Homeland Security to the State of Texas demands access to the U.S.-Mexico border on land seized by the State in Eagle Pass. DHS officials ordered the State to cease and desist its efforts to block Border Patrol’s access in and around Shelby Park “and remove all barriers to access” by the end of the day on January 17.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is pushing back against accusations that the Texas Military Department refused to allow Border Patrol agents to enter a city park in the heart of downtown Eagle Pass to rescue a migrant family who later drowned. The governor called the claim “wholly inaccurate.” On Sunday evening, Abbott posted a rebuttal to the accusations on X (formerly Twitter), saying the deaths of a migrant woman and her two children were because of the “Biden Open Border magnet.”

Former President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott served an early Thanksgiving meal to a host of law enforcement officers and Texas National Guard soldiers serving the border region as part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The former president and Abbott are slated to deliver remarks to a crowd of Texas Rio Grande Valley officials and border residents later Sunday.

Groups of migrants continue their influx into the border city of Eagle Pass, Texas, on Tuesday. The migrants were undeterred by the concertina wire put in place by the State of Texas to reduce migrant crossings in the area. 

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Migrants tired of standing in the waters of the Rio Grande forced their way through rolls of concertina wire to surrender to the Border Patrol. A group of 80 migrants used discarded clothing, garbage, and backpacks

Under Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard Units deployed a multi-layer strategy to deter and turn back migrants attempting to cross the border from Mexico. That strategy includes the construction of physical barriers like border walls, fencing., razor wire, and rail containers, in addition to deploying tactical response units and marine operators.

The number of migrant apprehensions along the southwest border with Mexico fell significantly in the first two days after the end of Title 42. Apprehensions averaged around 10,000 per day in the days leading up to the end of Title 42. That statistic fell by nearly half to an average of about 5,500 per day in the following two days.

Following the deployment of Governor Abbott’s Texas Tactical Border Force to the Rio Grande Valley Sector, migrant apprehensions declined for the first time in more than a week. Texas military forces and DPS troopers erected razor wire along the northern bank of the Rio Grande and turned back hundreds of migrants.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of an additional 545 National Guardsmen to assist in the newest surge of migrants crossing the border from Mexico. The deployment under the state’s Operation Lone Star comes days ahead of the expected May 11 end of the Title 42 migrant expulsion program.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott mocked President Joe Biden’s deployment of 1,500 military troops to the border who will have no authority to stop migrant crossings. The Biden administration announced the military would do paperwork and other administrative tasks.

Texas Border Czar Mike Banks tweeted a report saying special response units of the Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety turned back thousands of migrants during the first two days of deployment in El Paso.

While most families across the country celebrated the extended Christmas holiday weekend, members of the Texas National Guard built more than two miles of razor-wire border fencing near El Paso. Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed the Guardsmen under Operation Lone Star to build the barriers after the City of El Paso declared a disaster as migrants surged across the border.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of 400 National Guardsmen to El Paso. They are ordered to provide additional security measures in the increasing humanitarian crisis where migrants are sleeping on the streets of El Paso in freezing conditions.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers assigned to Operation Lone Star are making headway in reducing the number of migrant got-aways making their way into the U.S. interior. Troopers track down migrants making their way through ranches located as far as 80-100 miles away from the Mexican border in addition to those being smuggled in vehicles, rail cars, and tractor-trailers.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of ten M113 armored personnel carriers to the state’s southern border with Mexico. The action by the Texas governor is in response to the federal government’s anticipated ending of the Title 42 migrant expulsion protocol and the expected increase in border crossings.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state police and military forces to use “every available strategy” to repel migrants illegally crossing the border. The governor also ordered protection from “an invasion of the southern border.”

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Breitbart Texas observed members of the Texas National Guard launching Zodiac river boats onto the Rio Grande in support of Operation Lone Star. The soldiers on the boats conduct reconnaissance and interdiction missions along the river.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents found the body of a Texas National Guard Soldier who disappeared Friday morning after rescuing two migrants. U.S. officials recovered the body and transported the decedent to the Texas bank of the Rio Grande Monday morning.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The two migrants rescued by a missing Texas National Guard Soldier on Friday were involved in “illicit transnational narcotics trafficking,” according to a statement from Texas Military Department officials. The soldier disappeared after attempting to rescue

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The search for a missing Texas Army National Guard soldier last seen entering the Rio Grande to rescue a migrant north of Eagle Pass on Friday resumed on Saturday morning. An extensive search involving a Border Patrol dive team and other law enforcement resources was suspended late Friday.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Texas Army National Guard soldiers along with Highway Patrol converged on the busiest section of the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for an even greater wave of migrants once the CDC Title 42 authority ends. More than 100 soldiers and troopers conducted initial drills ahead of the next surge.

A Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper and National Guard soldiers apprehended a pair of human smugglers near the border in Laredo, Texas. Video released by the State shows a pursuit ending as the smugglers bail out of the moving truck and leave migrants, including children, to fend for themselves.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Thousands of migrants marching through Texas ranches as far as 80 miles from the U.S. border continues to disrupt the lives of those who live and work in these regions. Governor Greg Abbott told Breitbart Texas the chaos and crime in these areas are “worse than it has ever been.”

The Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety officials issued a warning to law enforcement officers and soldiers working along the state’s border with Mexico. The warnings of possible retaliation from members of the Gulf Cartel follow the arrest in recent days of a key leader.

Governor Greg Abbott mobilized the Texas Military Department in preparation for the impacts of the impending winter storm. A massive cold front is sweeping across the state and is expected to bring heavy snow and icy conditions.

After weeks of what appears to be politically motivated criticism, the Texas Military Department fired back with an official response to questions over pay issues, housing conditions, and suicide incidents.