Have you ever had to ask Texas Army National Guard Soldiers permission to enter a public park so that you can have the liberty to hold a vigil, pray, and sing worship songs in a public outdoor space?
Last weekend, I was in Shelby Park in the city of Eagle Pass where I attended the closing Border Vigil memorial cross display in remembrance of 700 lives cut short in 2023, on their journey to seeking safety in this country. I prayed and sang praises in community with pastors, press staff, and members of different organizations throughout Texas. A National Guard soldier stood close by watching us the entire time. A few feet away from us there were several Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) vehicles and troopers. Further away from us towards the river bank, there was a big military tent setup and several soldiers in uniform. Directly across from us, there were people on golf carts. Above us loomed the Eagle Pass International bridge, bustling with pedestrians and cars, crossing into Piedras Negras, Mexico.
MOTHER AND TWO CHILDREN DROWN NEAR EAGLE PASS
Upon leaving Shelby Park, I saw a woman with two young girls standing before the closed fenced park, peering at a military humvee stationed on the other side. Just minutes earlier, we had learned at the vigil that a mother and two children had drowned in the Rio Grande close to Eagle Pass. Representative Henry Cuellar, stated that Border Patrol agents went to Shelby Park but National Guard soldiers denied them access to Shelby Park so that they couldn’t conduct their job. Texas Military Department refuses to accept responsibility for the deaths of the mother and two children. The job of Border Patrol agents includes life saving missions along with enforcing federal immigration laws. In fact, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection careers page lists:
“Emergency Medical Program (EMP): The U.S. Border Patrol EMP is comprised of certified Emergency Medical technicians (EMT) and paramedics that provide emergency medical response and training capabilities for the U.S. Border Patrol. The EMP responds to a vast array of emergencies that range from medical illnesses to traumatic injuries. EMP personnel are highly trained in emergency medicine and use their skills to save lives and treat the injuries of fellow agents, illegal aliens and people from the communities in which they serve.”
OPERATION LONE STAR IN FULL EFFECT
This is Operation Lone Star (OLS) in full effect. Texas Army National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers fully present and in control of a fenced-in public park. The irony of being surrounded with law enforcement yet, I did not feel any safer. The Border Vigil group tried to have a semblance of a normal vigil but, it was difficult for my spirit to feel fully comfortable. Instead, I certainly did not feel free to enjoy the public use of Shelby Park. I shuddered at the thought that just days earlier, Governor Abbott had made the statement, “The only thing that we’re not doing is we’re not shooting people who come across the border, because of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder.”
As a human being and US citizen, OLS does not make me feel safer. On the contrary, it is terrifying to experience the loss of freedom to access a free public park. OLS has normalized the militarization of border communities and furthered the erosion of rights. Furthermore, OLS has cost Texas taxpayers billions of dollars. With our taxpayer money, OLS has treated people inhumanely. With our taxpayer money, OLS has prevented federal immigration agents from doing their jobs in violation of our Constitution. With our taxpayer money, OLS has played a role in the injury and deaths of those seeking safety and asylum, including children. We must listen and uplift the voices of border communities who sound the alarm when they say they do not need more law enforcement presence.
OLS denied Federal Border Patrol agents access to Shelby Park, preventing them from conducting their job, a woman and two children drowned before they could reach the US to access asylum. On the US side, a woman and two children are prevented access to a free public park because OLS controls who enters Shelby Park. This is the reality of what OLS brings into our communities –death and loss– of life and freedoms. This should deeply disturb all of us.
SOMETIMES PHOTOS CONVEY MORE THAN WORDS
SHELBY PARK BORDER VIGIL WITH OPERATION LONE STAR PRESENCE
