McALLEN, Texas (NEWSnet/AP) — Texas will build an operations base for up to 1,800 National Guard members in Eagle Pass, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday.
The 80-acre property along Rio Grande will open near Shelby Park, the riverfront area where Texas National Guard members have installed miles of razor wire and began denying access to U.S. Border Patrol agents.
“This will increase the ability for a larger number of Texas military department personnel in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and more efficiently,” Abbott said.
Abbott said the camp will improve living conditions for soldiers who are deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border,.
The camp will be constructed in phases of 300 beds every 30 days, with the first phase expected to be completed by April, said Maj. General Suelzer, head of Texas Military Department. The complex will include three command posts, weapons storage rooms and a helicopter pad, he said.
Texas officials continue to maintain control of Shelby Park as part of Abbott’s expanding border mission.
In January, U.S. Department of Justice asked the U.S. Supreme Court to order Texas to allow Border Patrol agents back into park. The Biden administration says Border Patrol agents use the park to monitor the river and to launch boats into Rio Grande.
Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.
Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
