EAGLE PASS—It was business as usual at Shelby Park one day after the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing federal agents to cut Texas’ concertina wire barriers.
The area, which Texas Scorecard visited on Tuesday, remained heavily fortified by Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety personnel with no signs of federal government incursion.
Guardsmen appeared to lead the effort, donning their massive Humvees at the park’s entryway.
Inside the park, DPS could be seen roaming around with patrol cars.
One member of the multi-agency Operation Lone Star initiative noted that illegal crossings had drastically decreased since Gov. Greg Abbott gave them authority over the park earlier this month, sidelining federal and city officials.
The officer estimated that the combined statewide force had only encountered around 60 illegal border crossers in the last three days. That, they said, was a far cry from the thousands per day the area had become accustomed to over the last few years.
Still, Texas awaits to see the federal government’s response to the Monday ruling, which struck down a lower court’s temporary injunction preventing border patrol agents from tearing down the wiring, at least until proceedings are completed.
A source informed Texas Scorecard that if the federal government cuts any wire in the near future, it will likely be done via the agency’s patrol airboats, which still have access to Shelby Park’s portion of the Rio Grande.
Abbott posted pictures on Tuesday of the scene at Shelby Park, pledging to “hold the line” and “not back down from our efforts to secure the border in Biden’s absence.”
Lt. Col. Chris Olivarez, a DPS spokesman, also promised the state would “hold the line” a day before on X.
“Texas is the only state using every strategy & resource to protect its sovereignty, combat criminal activity, & discourage illegal immigration,” Olivarez stressed, adding that Texas will “maintain its current posture.”
CBS News reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez later shared footage of Texas National Guard personnel setting up more razor wire near Shelby Park, which was subsequently shared to Abbott’s X account.
Meanwhile, the Texas Republican Party issued a stern challenge to the Biden administration: “come and cut it!”
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