In a surprise announcement on Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state has already broken ground on a new military base dedicated to housing up to 2,300 National Guard soldiers on an 80-acre campus situated just feet away from the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass.
It’s a further escalation of Abbott’s attempt to take over immigration enforcement, which numerous courts have ruled is under the purview of the federal government.
It’s also one of the biggest steps that Abbott has taken towards border militarization, and making his controversial border security mission, Operation Lone Star (OLS), permanent in the small border community.
“Because of the magnitude of what we’re doing, because of the need to sustain, and actually expand our efforts of what we’re doing, it’s essential that we build this base camp, for these soldiers,” said Abbott from Eagle Pass.
Under OLS, Abbott has placed razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande, floated buoys with saw blades in the water, and deployed armed tactical units.
“Having the soldiers located right here, right by the river, they’re going to have the ability to more quickly be able to construct that razor wire barrier,” said Abbott.
The Department of Justice has sued Texas over the placement of the razor wire and buoys as well as opened an investigation into possible civil rights violations by the agencies involved under Title VI.
Migrant advocates and human rights organizations have heavily criticized the tactics, voicing humanitarian and environmental concerns.
However, the governor is digging in with the construction of a military base along the river, a few miles from Shelby Park, which has also been fenced off and is guarded now by soldiers.
“[The National Guard] will be operating out of one place,” said Abbott. “They will amass a large army and a very strategic area. It will increase the speed and flexibility of the Texas National Guard to be able to respond to crossings.”
Interview with Jessie Fuentes, Eagle Pass Resident
I reached out to Jessie Fuentes just after the announcement. He’s a long-time native of Eagle Pass, owns a Rio Grande kayaking tour business there, and has been politically involved and publicly vocal about the effects of Operation Lone Star in his community.
We spoke about what the new military base means for the community in Eagle Pass.
“There’s a lot of people in this community that are upset with how the governor is using our community as a political staging area to have this narrative that we’re being invaded,” said Fuentes. “And the community has reached the point where, you know, it’s disgusting to hear it. And it’s disgusting to think about the fact that we are being used as political pawns by our very own governor.”
Fuentes said he’s frustrated at the governor’s encroachment into immigration and border security, something which is constitutionally under the purview of the federal government.
“He’s not following the Supreme Court rules. He’s not following federal treaties. He’s not following federal law. I mean, he’s violating the Constitution,” said Fuentes. “He’s created his own immigration force, his own immigration courts. Why are we allowing our governor to become a dictator and authoritarian as to how policy is supposed to be enforced when it comes to immigration?”
You can listen to the full audio of my call with Jessie in the video below.
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