CV NEWS FEED // The Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, ordering the state to cease its occupation of a border park where many migrants illegally and frequently cross.
Last week, the Texas National Guard took control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass. The park is a city property situated on the Rio Grande.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the move, which Eagle Pass’ Democratic mayor sharply criticized.
“The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the [U.S.] Border Patrol,” stated the Sunday letter signed by DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer.
“Those actions conflict with the authority and duties of Border Patrol under federal law and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution,” he continued. “Texas’s actions also improperly seek to regulate the federal government.”
“I am writing to demand that Texas immediately cease and desist any actions taken by the State that block Border Patrol’s full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area,” Meyer indicated:
Border Patrol is being prevented from entering any portion of the 2.5 mile Shelby Park area, with the minor exception of regulated access to the boat ramp in Shelby Park, including being unable to place scope trucks as Border Patrol determines is operationally necessary.
“Texas’s failure to provide access to the border persists even in instances of imminent danger to life and safety,” Meyer claimed.
>> TX NATIONAL GUARD SEIZES BORDER PARK TO STOP MIGRANTS <<
He wrote that after learning Friday “that a group of migrants was attempting to cross the river, Border Patrol contacted Texas officials and requested access to the border.”
“Texas refused,” the letter went on. “Texas’s actions are clearly unconstitutional and are actively disrupting the federal government’s operations.”
“We demand that Texas cease and desist its efforts to block Border Patrol’s access in and around the Shelby Park area and remove all barriers to access in the Shelby Park area,” the letter stressed.
The DHS gave Texas until the end of the day Wednesday to hand over control of the park to Border Control “and remove all barriers to access to the U.S.-Mexico border.”
If Texas does not comply by the stated deadline, the DHS threatened to “refer the matter to the [Biden administration’s] Department of Justice [(DOJ)] for appropriate action and consider all other options available to restore Border Patrol’s access to the border.”
>> BORDER CHIEF UNDER TRUMP AND OBAMA BLASTS BIDEN’S POLICIES <<
CatholicVote reported Friday that the Border Patrol’s official labor union expressed support for Abbott’s decision to mobilize the state National Guard to Shelby Park.
“Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them,” stated the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) to FOX News’ Bill Melugin Thursday.
“Seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways,” NBPC added. “Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”
The Daily Wire reported that the DHS’s letter is the latest episode in an “ongoing feud between Texas and the Biden administration over the southern border.” Texas “has argued that President Joe Biden’s policies have encouraged record surges at the border and that the federal government has not done its duty to secure the border.”
>> BIDEN SUES TEXAS OVER LAW MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME <<
