Gov. Greg Abbott says National Guard troops are putting up additional razor wire along the Rio Grande in South and West Texas, as some environmentalists report a drop in activity.
Abbott tweeted on Tuesday that Operation Lone Star engineers were installing “more razor wire near Shelby Park” in Eagle Pass, Texas.
That’s the same park that the State of Texas took over in January for its Texas Military Department command headquarters in Piedras Negras, a remote border town with only 28,000 residents across the Rio Grande from Mexico.
Amerika Garcia-Grewall, the creator of the Eagle Pass Border Vigil Coalition, has been campaigning to reopen Shelby Park to the public and remove the razor fences and gates.
“There’s just no place to put razor wire,” she told the Border Report on Wednesday. “They’ve already enforced and strengthened it.”
Jessie Fuentes, who runs a kayak company on the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, told Border Report that he’s noticed a decrease in razor wire and the Operation Lone Star barrier in recent weeks.
“They have removed tons of concertina wire from the islands. They have removed a large amount of material from the river’s shores. They even dug out the channel that used to exist between what was formerly an island and the bank that joined it to form a peninsula. “They’re making some reparations,” Fuentes added.
However, Abbott claims they are increasing wire installations.
“Texas will continue to hold the line and bolster our border security efforts to protect Texans—and Americans—from the Biden-Harris border crisis,” said Abbott.
On Wednesday, Abbott stated that state troopers were expanding razor wire in El Paso, Far West Texas.
“Texas National Guard soldiers reinforce the razor wire barrier to prevent illegal entry.” “Texas will continue to redouble its border security efforts,” Abbott tweeted.
This year, the construction of anti-climb concertina wire at Brownsville, Texas, located in deep South Texas, increased.
Across the Southwest border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that migrant encounters have dropped by nearly 30% since President Joe Biden issued an executive order in early June restricting asylum applications to those with CBP One app appointments and crossing at legal U.S. ports of entry.
Border Report contacted the Texas Military Department to find out whether activities are increasing or decreasing in specific locations, as well as their plans. We will update this story as we receive more information.
