Eagle Pass residents are protesting for the state to return Shelby Park

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EAGLE PASS — When the federal government considered building a border fence that would cut through the South Texas city more than 15 years ago, the response was swift.

The ranchers scoffed, and one said, “I think that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of.” There was skepticism among residents, who noted that economic attractiveness had always drawn migrants to the United States through their city. The mayor at the time asked, “What has America come to?”

But the city was second to none. Ultimately, the federal government built a 2.8-mile-long, 15-foot-tall black metal fence surrounding the municipal golf course and Shelby Park, which once again emerged as the front line of a new battle – between the state of Texas and the federal government. Inside there are residents who miss their park.

“We lost, but you know what, we fought,” said Jessie Fuentes, a local activist with a kayak business he ran in the park. “We are once again defending our 47-acre park. Our park, where our children play football, where we fish, where we go to the river. We can’t do any of these things anymore.”

Fuentes was one of a line of speakers at a tiny Saturday rally demanding the state return Shelby Park, which was occupied against the city’s wishes. The event, attended by fewer than 100 people, many from El Paso, was the latest call for freedom from some residents who believe they are being occupied by the state of Texas in its $11 billion border security mission, Operation Lone Star .

Under the program, the state has deployed thousands of National Guard troops to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border and Department of Public Safety troops to arrest migrants on state charges.

Eagle Pass has become, in many ways, the centerpiece of the state’s efforts. Texas is building an 80-acre military base here that will house soldiers. In the Rio Grande, near the city, the state dropped a floating barrier. And the state also took over the city park.

The saga of Shelby Park began last summer when Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas agreed to declare it private property at the state’s request so that troopers could arrest migrants for trespassing. Salinas and the city council later walked away from the deal after complaints from residents.

But that didn’t stop the state. In January, Salinas said he got a call from the DPS director who told him the state had taken over the park.

“This is not a decision we agreed to,” Salinas said at the time. “It’s not something we wanted. This is not something we asked for as a city.”

The state has not left the country since then.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

Among the residents lamenting the park’s closure is Jose Corpus, a 52-year-old born in Eagle Pass and raised across the river in Piedras Negras. He recalls that the park hosted large events such as a carnival, a Fourth of July party, and an international festival commemorating the connection of Eagle Pass with Piedras Negras.

The park Corpus sees now – mostly from above as he crosses the international bridge into Mexico – is a terrifying sight that reminds him of a war zone filled with piles of concertina wire and uniformed soldiers clutching long guns.

“It’s hard to explain this feeling,” he said. “Sometimes I feel helpless and frustrated that our political leaders do not represent us. As a taxpayer, I pay money – my representation is not free.”

On Saturday morning, a crowd gathered outside Shelby Park for a rally in the sweltering heat. With no clouds in the sky, most sat or stood in the shade cast by trees and tents. Nearby, DPS soldiers in two SUVs parked on both sides of the block.

A floating piñata with a barrier buoy hung on a string between utility poles in the middle of the street. At the end of the rally, a group of children beat orange papier-mâché balls until candies fell on them. Nearly 4 miles down the Rio Grande, the floating Texas buoy barrier remained in the water.