Texas Governor Greg Abbott used his emergency powers and seized city property along the riverfront at the border in the Eagle Pass area. This includes federal processing locations and equipment.

#BREAKING The state of Texas has seized all city property along the riverfront at the border in the Eagle Pass area under governors emergency powers, including federal processing locations and equipment—This is according to multiple sources.

All access to the property is… pic.twitter.com/gpwZEFg50b

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 11, 2024

#BREAKING The state of Texas has seized all city property along the riverfront at the border in the Eagle Pass area under governors emergency powers, including federal processing locations and equipment—This is according to multiple sources.

All access to the property is limited to state authority only. Border Patrol will be permitted to enter the property to remove their equipment and supplies—Agents will not have access to the area unless there is a medical emergency.

I am told that the state plans to start arresting all who cross for criminal trespass—This is not under the new illegal entry law #SB4– They have been arresting for criminal trespass for months.

This is Abbott’s latest attempt to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into Texas. The Texas Department of Safety (DPS) closed and took over a park in Eagle Pass that is on the banks of the Rio Grande River. This didn’t sit well with Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, a Democrat.

Thursday, Mayor Salinas posted a video on Facebook. He said he received a call from DPS on Wednesday which alerted him to the fact that Governor Abbott signed an emergency declaration. Officers will take full control of Shelby Park indefinitely. The park is 47 acres.

“That is not a decision that we agreed to. This is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city,” Salinas said in the video.

Salinas said he was told that the reason for the operation is to prevent immigrants from illegally crossing the Rio Grande into Texas.

The governor’s spokesperson released a statement.

Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, said in a statement that Texas is using different tactics to deter people from crossing the border illegally and blamed the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

“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,” Eze said.

Eze also cited Abbott’s emergency declaration, which he originally signed in May 2021 and renewed in December.

One group is not happy with Abbott’s actions. They blame him for border problems, not the illegal immigrants or the Mexican government.

The Border Vigil, a group of Eagle Pass residents who have criticized Abbott’s immigration policies, blasted the state’s move: “The Texas Governor’s emergency declaration and takeover of Shelby Park, where the Cross Memorial stands as a tribute to the unnecessary deaths on our border, is a cynical and cruel attempt to divert attention from his own failures and to undermine the efforts of the Mexican authorities and civil society to address the humanitarian crisis at the border.”

What a load of malarkey. Those ‘unnecessary deaths” would cease to exist if the Texas border was secured. Illegal immigrants break the law, enter Texas, and any bad things that happen is the fault of the governor. That’s just crazy talk.

Mayor Salinas acted without the city council’s approval in June when he agreed to honor a request from DPS. DPS wanted him to declare the park as private property so that state troopers could arrest illegal immigrants for trespassing. When locals found out and complained, he rescinded his agreement with DPS. He is not exactly a profile in courage.

Salinas has been a critic of Biden’s border policies. He met privately with DHS Secretary Mayorkas when he visited Eagle Pass earlier this week. He did not attend the secretary’s press conference.

“I made it a point to detail the impact the immigration crisis has had on our community both in the safety aspect and our local economy,” Salinas said in a social media post. “He is well aware that shutting down the bridge system is detrimental to our City and assured us that going forward they will take all necessary steps to prevent that from occurring again.”

Salinas has been among the critics of the White House’s immigration policies, and he has called for increased federal assistance to handle the influx of migrants who arrive needing city services. The mayor noted that Mayorkas told him progress was made last month when Mayorkas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others in the Biden administration met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss ways to stem the flow of migrants before they reach the United States.

We’ll see how long the park will be under state control. Illegal immigrants will be arrested for trespassing. That has been happening in recent months. It is not the same thing as the law that will go into effect in March if Abbott wins a lawsuit that Biden’s DOJ filed against Texas. That law enables any law enforcement officers to arrest illegal immigrants and detain them if they do not voluntarily go back across the border.

As caravans of migrants are moving through Mexico toward the U.S. border, we are making clear that Texas will be a tough place to cross. https://t.co/G4LJfKfiK3

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 12, 2024