By Steve Neavling
Texas’ attorney general defied the Biden administration’s demands to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from accessing a public park along the southern border, setting up a legal standoff over the country’s immigration policies.
The Department of Homeland Security urged Texas to stop blocking federal agents from entering Shelby Park in Eagle Pass.
Texas officials began arresting migrants accused of criminal trespassing at the park, The Los Angeles Times reports.
“The State of #Texas will maintain a proactive posture in curbing illegal border crossings between the ports of entry,” Chris Olivarez, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Public Safety, wrote in a tweet.
Tensions escalated between Texas and the Biden administration after Texas prevented Border Patrol agents from accessing the park following a report of a woman and two children drowning.
In a cease-and-desist letter, the Department of Homeland Security gave Texas until Wednesday night to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from accessing the park.
“The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol,” Jonathan E. Meyer, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, wrote. “Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities.”
