The Justice Department on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blocked federal Border Patrol agents from carrying out their duties in the border city of Eagle Pass, CNN reports.
The filing comes after Texas National Guard troops occupied Eagle Pass' Shelby Park late Wednesday evening, according to CBS News. The Border Patrol had previously used the park, located near International Bridge 1, which connects to the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, as a station for processing asylum seekers.
However, on Thursday, Texas guardsmen reportedly barred Border Patrol boats from patrolling the area and entering the park. Federal agents told CBS the state's move is preventing them from carrying out their duties, thereby putting migrants' lives at risk.
When Customs and Border Protection official Robert Danley asked Texas officials to explain their reason for seizing the park, Texas guardsmen responded by saying they were "advised that Texas does not want Border Patrol to be able to arrest, process or transport migrants out of the identified area," CBS reports.
The Shelby Park standoff is the latest move by Abbott — a Republican who's made a border crackdown part of his political brand — to challenge the feds' authority on immigration enforcement. Court precedent establishes that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, not the states.
As part of Abbott's multi-billion dollar border crackdown Operation Lone Star, the governor deployed concertina wire along the border and installed a floating buoy barrier in the Rio Grande last year. Texas and the federal government are currently locked in legal battles over both.
Last month, Abbott signed the controversial Senate Bill 4, which allows state and local law enforcement to arrest and jail anyone who is suspected of entering the country illegally. That law is also facing legal challenges.
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Feds ask Supreme Court to intervene after Texas governor seizes Eagle Pass park
Texas National Guardsmen took control of Eagle Pass' Shelby Park, stopping federal agents from carrying out duties there.
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