EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) – As the ceremony began with the shrill horns of a mariachi player and the rhythmic click of horse hooves, Mayor Rolando Salinas said the Texas border city was “more than just a border city. I thought a little about being a thing. The immigration crisis we see in the media. ”
Cowboys and cowgirls from Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico, met Friday at one of two international bridges to begin a weeklong drive to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. The annual ritual has become a point of local pride, even as Eagle Pass has garnered widespread attention due to the showdown between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over crackdowns on illegal border crossings.
“This shows the connection between the United States and Mexico,” Salinas said as he watched the final preparations for the annual “La Cabalgata Internacional La Grande.”
Hours later, about 200 supporters were in a festive mood in the nearby town of Quemado ahead of Saturday's “Reclaim Our Borders” rally. Connie Hinton, 56, said she showed up with her father from Austin, Texas, because “we need to crack down on people who are in the country illegally.”
The rally, which began with a convoy of truckers in Virginia, highlighted how an unprecedented surge in immigration has shaken up Eagle Pass, a sprawling town of warehouses and dilapidated homes overlooked by many major retailers. It was the latest sign of what's going on.
Mission: Border Hope, an organization that helps migrants plan their travels after being notified by the Border Patrol to appear in immigration court, has seen daily arrivals peak at around 1,200 people in recent days. Director Valeria Wheeler said the number of employees has dropped dramatically from 2000 to about 20. .
Rally organizers said they planned a peaceful protest, but the group's shelter was closed ahead of Saturday's rally over concerns of violence.
Eagle Pass has been at the center of an unusual turf war between Texas' Republican governor and the Democratic White House since early January, when Texas seized control of Shelby Park on the banks of the Rio Grande.
The park, which consists of a playground and boat launch next to a golf course on the edge of the downtown business district, is closed. U.S. Border Patrol agents are denied entry.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that the governor's actions were “unconscionable.”
Mr. Mayorkas said, “It is unacceptable for public officials to intentionally refuse to communicate, coordinate, or cooperate with other public officials in the national interest of our country, and to do so in the hope of causing chaos for others.'' It's conscientious.” in an interview With the Associated Press.
Eagle Pass, with a population of about 30,000 people, has become a major route for illegal crossings in recent years and is the target of Abbott's crackdown. The community is located in the Border Patrol's Del Rio, Texas, sector, which is often the busiest of the agency's nine divisions on the Mexican border.in best month ever Of the approximately 250,000 people arrested for illegal crossing in December, Del Rio had 71,095 arrests, ranking second only to Tucson, Arizona. San Diego, California, was a distant third.
Eagle Pass Chamber of Commerce President Jorge Barrera said travelers are having a hard time finding hotel rooms as state law enforcement presence increases and discount chains' rates exceed $200 per night. That's what it means.
“Obviously everyone likes growth,” Barrera said. “But if we move a little too fast, it makes it a little harder for the community to catch up.”
No migrants were seen in the grassy fields of Shelby Park on Friday as the Texas National Guard untied razor wire atop train containers dotting the riverbank. The mayor said about 200 migrants arrived Thursday, a significant decrease from December.
a Divided US Supreme Court For now, Border Patrol has allowed the Border Patrol to cut the razor wire that Texas has installed, but the state continues to install more. The federal government has argued that the wires are hampering its ability to provide border security, including assistance to immigrants in need.
The Biden administration told the Supreme Court that at Shelby Park, “Texas effectively blocked border surveillance by the Border Patrol.” The state has defended the seizure, with Attorney General Ken Paxton saying it will “continue to defend Texas' efforts to protect our southern border” against federal efforts to undermine the border.
At a ranch outside Eagle Pass where Abbott supporters gathered ahead of Saturday's rally, vendors sold MAGA hats featuring Donald Trump and Trump flags. A handmade sign reads, “The federal government has lost its way. Their job is to protect the states.''
Julio Vazquez, pastor of Lutherana San Lucas Church in Eagle Pass, said Mr. Abbott's campaign is a waste of money because immigrants “come empty-handed and asking for help.”
Alicia Garcia, a lifelong Eagle Pass resident who avoids Shelby Park but attended the annual rodeo-themed festival Friday at the nearby International Bridge, said many asylum seekers He questioned the value of Mr. Abbott's efforts because he has been released by U.S. authorities to argue in immigration court.
“What happened to the show?” Garcia, 38, said. “If they're still crossing, they might as well dismantle the whole thing.”
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Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Paul Webber in Austin, Texas, contributed.
