TEXAS, USA — The federal government says the state of Texas is blocking Border Patrol agents from reaching part of the Texas border with Mexico.
And the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Congressman Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, says he expects the federal government to sue to stop the state from interfering with federal duties.
“At this point, the Governor’s bragging about blocking the federal government and border patrol from doing its job,” Castro told us on Inside Texas Politics. “And it’s making the situation less safe and worse.”
Castro says while the state is blocking the federal government, it isn’t taking on any other duties, such as processing more migrants.
Federal authorities say border agents no longer have access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, which the state of Texas recently took over as part of Operation Lone Star despite objections from the mayor and many local residents.
And Paxton has responded to the cease-and-desist letter, saying in part, “Rather than addressing Texas’s urgent requests for protection, President Biden has authorized DHS to send a threatening letter through its lawyers. But Texas has lawyers, too, and I will continue to stand up for this State’s constitutional powers of self-defense.”
Castro says he wasn’t shocked by the state’s actions. But he says they do shock the conscience.
“Greg Abbott has made this his number one boogeyman issue. I mean, he uses migrants at this point as political scarecrows to try to scare everybody else,” Castro said. “Republicans have gotten very bloodthirsty when it comes to the issue of immigration and border security.”