Does the state of Texas have an army? Texas government deploys National Guard to take over park along the border

Texas government has allegedly blocked Border Patrol agents from accessing a 2.5-mile stretch of the southern border in Eagle Pass. The Department of Justice has filed documents in the Supreme Court to act on an ongoing legal dispute between the state and the federal government.

According to Fox News, the Texas Military Department gave a statement to media outlets on Thursday, January 11, 2024, saying,

"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."

Eagle Pass has been a hotspot for illegal migrant crossings and the Texas National Guard is continuing to deploy units, preventing Border Patrol agents from entering the area, as per ABC News.

Although the Texas government does not have an army, they have the Texas National Guard. Conflicts between federal and state officials along the Texas–Mexico border have intensified as a result of this action.

---

Texas government blocks federal border agents from processing migrants in Eagle Pass

The Texas government has blocked two areas of operation in Eagle Pass and the Senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has pulled resources to avoid a confrontation.

The Texas government and National Guard have seized Shelby Park in Eagle Pass. They have set up razor wire and fences to block off the area. Eagle Pass has been one of the main spots of migrant crossings in the three-year border crisis. Shelby Park is a key staging area for processing during the enormous migrant surges the state has seen, as per Fox News.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot's spokesperson Renae Eze recently said,

"Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by Biden’s reckless open border 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."

The Department of Justice said Border Patrol learned of the new barriers late Wednesday. These wires stop Border Patrol from reaching the Rio Grande River in certain areas and prevent their ability to protect in case of emergencies, as per CNN.

Last week the DOJ and Biden's administration had asked the Supreme Court to step in on an emergency basis. They were requested to intervene in an order from a lower court that had previously directed Border Patrol agents to stop removing concertina wire put in place by the Texas government, as per CBS.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in court papers on Wednesday,

"Texas’s new actions since the government’s filing demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies."

The filings included evidence from local officials and photos of the situation in the Lone Star State. The Justice Department said the Texas government was using armed Guardsmen and vehicles to deny Border Patrol agents and federal National Guard soldiers access to roughly 2.5 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

They added,

"Those actions have also changed the situation on the ground from the account in prior filings in this Court, including Texas’s opposition. Those developments reinforce the need for this Court to vacate the court of appeals’ injunction, and to do so as soon as possible."

As per CNN, the Border Patrol has a legal responsibility to process migrants on U.S. soil, under federal law. They must determine whether to detain them, transfer them to another agency, deport them, or release them into the country. The Supreme Court has not made a decision yet.