Greg Abbott Defies Joe Biden as Texas Begins Arresting Migrants

Footage has emerged of Texas State Police arresting migrants in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass after the state's attorney general refused to comply with a Biden administration order to stop blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from the site.

Under the orders of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, state officials have been refusing to allow Customs Border and Protection (CBP) personnel to enter the park, situated on the U.S.-Mexican border. On January 12, a woman and two children drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico to reach Eagle Pass.

On X, formerly Twitter, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez posted two videos and two photos showing people allegedly migrating illegally being detained after crossing into the U.S.

He wrote: "Under the authority of Gov. Greg Abbott's Border Disaster Declaration, Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers are arresting illegal immigrants for criminal trespass at #ShelbyPark in Eagle Pass. Troopers are enforcing criminal trespass on single adult men & women. The State of #Texas will maintain a proactive posture in curbing illegal border crossings between the ports of entry."

In the videos, officers can be seen cuffing a male migrant's hands behind his back then leading him to a police vehicle. The accompanying photos show a female migrant being detained and another male being searched by an officer.

Newsweek has contacted Governor Abbott's press office for comment by telephone and voicemail message.

On January 14, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a 'cease-and-desist' letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton giving state authorities until the 17th to allow federal access from the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass or face possible legal action.

Paxton responded defiantly in a letter to the department's general counsel, stating: "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. Instead of running to the U.S. Department of Justice in hopes of winning an injunction, you should advise your clients at DHS to do their job and follow the law."

An accompanying press release on the Texas Attorney General's website said: "Texas will not surrender to Biden's destructive open-border policies. Attorney General Paxton will continue to defend Texas as it uses its constitutional authority to defend state territory, sovereignty, and citizens."

Referring to his actions along Texas's southern border, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández told Axios that "Governor Abbott's political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous."

Speaking during a January 12 press conference, Abbott said Texan state authorities were within their rights to restrict federal access to Shelby Park.

He said: "Texas has the legal authority to control ingress and egress into any geographic location in the state of Texas. And that authority is being asserted with regards to that park in Eagle Pass, Texas, to maintain operational control of it."

During the 2023 fiscal year, there were 2.4 million recorded encounters between migrants and law enforcement across the U.S.-Mexico border according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a substantial increase from the 1.7 million recorded in 2021.