DHS warns of action if Texas hinders agents access from border

The Biden administration has instructed Texas to stop impeding the Border Patrol’s access to a park along the Rio Grande River after the state National Guard took over last week.

“Texas’s actions are clearly unconstitutional and are actively disrupting the federal government’s operations. We demand that Texas cease and desist its efforts to block Border Patrol’s access in and around the Shelby Park area and remove all barriers to access in the Shelby Park area,” DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer said in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Military Department to assume control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Jan. 10, preventing Border Patrol access to about 2½ miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has instructed the state to stop its operations and allow agents entry. Failure to comply could lead DHS to refer the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday.