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Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The state of Texas has assumed control of a city park on the banks of the Rio Grande River in an attempt to slow the flow of immigrants crossing into the country illegally, Eagle Pass, Texas Mayor Rolando Salinas said. Salinas said in a Facebook post that Texas Department of Public Safety officers told him that the state is taking "full control" of the nearly 50-acre Shelby Park to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico.
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"That is not a decision that we agreed to," Salinas said in the video. "This is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city, I want to make that clear."
The video posted by the mayor, provided to ABC News, showed the park entrance blocked by fencing and military vehicles and a red and white sign that reads "Law Enforcement Only."
Gov. Greg Abbott has made Shelby Park a big part of his public efforts to discourage people trying to cross the border illegally. The park has long been a staging area for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Texas National Guard soldiers, and DPS officers awaiting migrants who attempt to cross the line, often under the cover of darkness.
The state agencies and operations are largely coordinated under Abbott's Operation Lone Star.
Salinas reported that he was told that the state is seizing control of the park "indefinitely" under the governor's border disaster declaration that Abbott renewed in December.
Salinas said Thursday that he suspects CBP agents are being kept out of the area by the state.
"I'm sure that's going to be an issue that will be litigated between the federal government and the state governments," he said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Eagle Pass on Monday, where he met with CBP agents.
Abbott's office released a statement, blaming President Joe Biden.
"Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden's reckless open border policies," spokesperson Renae Eze said. "Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country."
"Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden's ongoing border crisis," the statement continued.
Salinas says city officials are working to see if they have legal options to regain control of Shelby Park.
Eagle Pass was in the news recently when the state deployed floating buoys wrapped in razor wire in the river to deter migrants from attempting to cross into the U.S. at the border crossing.
An appeals court ruled last year that Texas had to remove the floating barrier it deployed in the Rio Grande, affirming a lower court's ruling, calling the buoys "an obstruction" because the river is navigable where the barrier was placed.
That meant Texas needed to receive permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before deploying the barrier.
Texas argued the buoys were meant to save lives and force migrants to cross the border at ports of entry, deterring them from attempting an illegal crossing, but the court ruled otherwise.
