https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-13-2024
"Last night a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande that marks the
border between the U.S. and Mexico near Eagle Pass, Texas.
U.S. Border Patrol agents knew that a group of six migrants were in distress in
the river but could not try to save them, as they normally would, because
troops from the Texas National Guard and the Texas Military Department
prevented the Border Patrol agents from entering the area where they were
struggling: Shelby Park, a 47-acre public park that offers access to a
frequently traveled part of the river and is a place where Border Patrol agents
often encounter migrants crossing the border illegally.
They could not enter because two days ago, on Thursday, Texas governor Greg
Abbott sent armed Texas National Guard soldiers and soldiers from the Texas
Military Department to take control of Shelby Park. Rolando Salinas, the mayor
of Eagle Pass, posted a video on Facebook showing the troops and saying that a
state official had told him that state troops were taking “full control” over
Shelby Park “indefinitely.” Salinas made it clear that “[t]his is not something
that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city.”
The Texas forces have denied United States Border Patrol officials entry into
the park to perform their duties, asserting that Texas officials have power
over U.S. officials.
On December 18, Abbott signed into law S.B. 4, a measure that attempts to take
into state hands the power over immigration the Constitution gives to the
federal government. Courts have repeatedly reinforced that immigration is the
responsibility of federal, not state, government, but now, according to Uriel
J. García of the Texas Tribune, “some Texas Republicans have said they hope the
new law will push the issue back before a U.S. Supreme Court that is more
conservative since three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined
it.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
