In Texas Border City, Some Question Role Of Troops To Counter Migration

In Texas border city, some question role of troops to counter migration

Eagle Pass, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2025) Armed troops patrolling for migrants have become a familiar sight in Eagle Pass, Texas.

While President Donald Trump's order this week declaring a "national emergency" at the Mexican border may soon result in thousands of US Army soldiers heading south, troop deployments in Eagle Pass were already boosted last year.

Separated from the Mexican city of Piedras Negras by the Rio Grande, Eagle Pass had been a focal point of friction between Texas's staunchly conservative Republican Governor Greg Abbott, a Trump ally, and former president Joe Biden's administration.

Accusing Biden of failing to protect Texas from a migrant "invasion," Abbott sent National Guard troops to Eagle Pass. Republican governors from other states sent reinforcements.

Through 2024, the center of military activity in the city has been Shelby Park, for decades a center of recreation, where families had picnics, dipped their feet in the river or went kayaking on the Rio Grande, often intermingling with their Mexican neighbors.

For Eagle Pass resident Jessie Fuentes, the deployments are just a "show," with little impact on controlling migration.

It's "only five to six miles long. Everywhere else is open, so if (Abbott) thinks that made a difference, he has no idea," added Fuentes, who said his family has lived on the border for "over 200 years."

Massive containers now line the border, where patrolling humvees kick up dirt and troops in fan boats scan the riverbanks.