Seems to be the center of the action on the border.
- Shelby Park.
Shelby Park is located on 47.4 acres (19.2 ha) of parkland on the banks of the Rio Grande River in downtown Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. The park is owned and maintained by the City of Eagle Pass. It was created using Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds after the area was cleared of homes and businesses following major flooding in 1998 and named for Confederate General Joseph O. Shelby, who fled to Mexico through Eagle Pass in 1865.[1][2]
. . . In January 2024, it was seized by the Texas National Guard as part of Operation Lone Star to prevent entry of migrants by installing barriers and razor wire, as well as arresting those who crossed for trespassing. This action was taken by Texas after a massive influx of illegal migrants in the area. It also inhibited the processing of the migrants by the Border Patrol.
- Click here for the map.
- Eagle Pass.
Eagle Pass was the first American settlement on the Rio Grande. Originally known as Camp Eagle Pass, it served as a temporary outpost for the Texas militia, which had been ordered to stop illegal trade with Mexico during the Mexican–American War. Eagle Pass is so named because the contour of the hills through which the Rio Grande flows bore a fancied resemblance to the outstretched wings of an eagle.
General William Leslie Cazneau (1807–1876) founded the Eagle Pass townsite in the 1840s. In 1850, Rick Pawless opened a trading post called Eagle Pass. In 1871, Maverick County was established, and Eagle Pass was named the county seat. During the remainder of the 19th century, schools and churches opened, the mercantile and ranching industries grew, and a railway was built.
- Operation Lone Star.
Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the United States–Mexico border in southern Texas. The operation started in 2021 and is currently ongoing. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the operation is intended to counter a rise in illegal immigration, the illegal drug trade, and human smuggling. Between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, migrant apprehensions had risen 278% along the US–Mexico border. As of April 2022, OLS was spending approximately $2.5 million per week and was expected to cost approximately $2 billion per year. Approximately 10,000 National Guard members were deployed in support of OLS at the height of the operation, with around 6,000 deployed as of November 2022.
