In a move that has sparked controversy and disagreement, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has closed and seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. The decision, made without the consent of city officials, aims to prevent immigrants from illegally crossing the Rio Grande into Texas.

Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas expressed his opposition to the takeover in a video posted on Facebook. He stated that he received a call from DPS officials on Wednesday, informing him that Gov. Greg Abbott had signed an emergency declaration, granting officers "full control" of the 47-acre park indefinitely. Salinas emphasized that this was not a decision the city agreed to or supported.

The reason behind the operation, as explained to Salinas, is to combat the rising numbers of immigrants attempting to cross the border illegally. Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Gov. Abbott, blamed the Biden administration's immigration policies for the need to use different tactics in deterring unauthorized crossings.

"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," criticized the Border Vigil, a group of Eagle Pass residents who have been critical of Abbott's immigration policies.

Eagle Pass has been at the center of Gov. Abbott's immigration enforcement efforts in the past year, with thousands of migrants illegally crossing the border in the area. Many have suffered injuries while attempting to navigate concertina wire deployed by the state along the banks of the Rio Grande.

It is worth noting that in June, Mayor Salinas, without the approval of the city council, agreed to a DPS request to declare Shelby Park private property, facilitating the arrest of migrants for trespassing. However, following public outcry, both the city council and Salinas himself voted to rescind the original agreement with DPS.

Critics argue that the seizure of Shelby Park is a detrimental move that diverts attention from addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border.

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