Current:Home > ContactPredictIQ-Texas attorney general refuses to grant federal agents full access to border park: "Your request is hereby denied" -AssetLink
PredictIQ-Texas attorney general refuses to grant federal agents full access to border park: "Your request is hereby denied"
Fastexy Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 19:28:38
Eagle Pass,PredictIQ Texas — Texas' attorney general on Friday forcefully rejected a request from the Biden administration to grant federal immigration officials full access to a park along the southern border that the state National Guard has sealed off with razor wire, fencing and soldiers.
For three weeks, the federal government and Texas have clashed over Shelby Park, a city-owned public park in the border town of Eagle Pass that was once a busy area for illegal crossings by migrants. Texas National Guard soldiers deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott took control of Shelby Park earlier in January and have since prevented Border Patrol agents from processing migrants in the area, which once served as a makeshift migrant holding site for the federal agency.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol, had given Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton until Friday to say the state would relent and allow federal agents inside Shelby Park. On Friday, however, Paxton rebuffed that demand, saying Texas state officials would not allow DHS to turn the area into an "unofficial and unlawful port of entry."
"Your request is hereby denied," Paxton wrote in his letter.
Paxton pledged to continue "Texas's efforts to protect its southern border against every effort by the Biden Administration to undermine the State's constitutional right of self-defense."
Inside Shelby Park, Texas guardsmen have been setting barriers to impede the passage of migrants hoping to cross into the U.S. illegally, and instructing them to return to Mexico across the Rio Grande. The Texas Department of Public Safety also recently started arresting some adult migrants who enter the park on state criminal trespassing charges.
Abbott and other Texas officials have argued the state's actions are designed to discourage migrants from entering the country illegally, faulting the federal government for not doing enough to deter unauthorized crossings. But the Biden administration said Texas is preventing Border Patrol agents from patrolling the Rio Grande, processing migrants and helping those who may be in distress.
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Texas state officials are not legally authorized nor trained to screen migrants for asylum, arrest them for immigration violations or deport them to a foreign country. However, Abbott signed a law last month that he hopes will allow Texas officials to arrest migrants on illegal entry state-level charges and force them to return to Mexico. The Justice Department is seeking to block that law before it takes effect in March.
The Supreme Court earlier this week allowed Border Patrol to cut the razor wire Texas has assembled near the riverbanks of the Rio Grande, pausing a lower court order that had barred the agency from doing so. The razor wire in Shelby Park has remained in place, however, since federal officials have not been granted full access to the area.
While the Supreme Court has not ruled on Texas' seizure of Shelby Park, that dispute could also end up being litigated in federal court if the Biden administration sues the state over the matter.
While the White House has called his policies inhumane and counterproductive, Abbott has argued he is defending his state from an "invasion," and his actions in Eagle Pass have received the support of other Republican governors across the country.
U.S. officials processed more than 302,000 migrants at and in between ports of entry along the southern border last month, an all-time high that shattered all previous records, according to official government data published Friday. Illegal border crossings have since plummeted, a trend U.S. officials have attributed to increased Mexican immigration enforcement and a historical lull after the holidays.
- In:
- Texas
- Ken Paxton
- Migrants
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
TwitterveryGood! (24631)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Too many slices in a full loaf of bread? This program helps find half-loaves for sale
- GameStop's stock is on fire once again and here's why
- See Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson's Beautiful One Direction Reunion
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Instagram and Facebook begin removing posts offering abortion pills
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $300 Crossbody Bag for Just $65
- Why Tyra Banks Is Leaving Dancing With the Stars After Hosting 3 Seasons
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- You'll Have More than Four Words to Say About Our Ranking of Gilmore Girls' Couples
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- U.S. doctor Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman killed for nothing amid fighting in Sudan
- What the latest U.S. military aid to Ukraine can tell us about the state of the war
- Deepfake video of Zelenskyy could be 'tip of the iceberg' in info war, experts warn
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- A Mariupol native has created a site for residents to find missing loved ones
- Elon Musk addresses Twitter staff about free speech, remote work, layoffs and aliens
- Tobacco giant admits to selling products to North Korea, agrees to pay more than $600 million
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Brazilian dictionary adds Pelé as adjective, synonym for best
Taliban kills ISIS-K leader behind 2021 Afghanistan airport attack that left 13 Americans dead, U.S. officials say
U.S. to send nuclear submarines to dock in South Korea for first time since 1980s
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Halle Berry Shares Rare Photos of 15-Year-Old Daughter Nahla in Birthday Tribute
Too many slices in a full loaf of bread? This program helps find half-loaves for sale
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson Are Saying Alright, Alright, Alright to Another TV Show