Texas National Guard ‘seizes control’ of border and blocks Border Patrol from area

Republican Governor Greg Abbott has seized a city park on the US-Mexico border and has reportedly directed the Texas National Guard to impede federal agents patrolling the area.

The guardsmen were directed to block US Border Patrol agents from patrolling near the border town of Eagle Pass, according toCBS News.

The town is where border agents typically first encounter migrants crossing into the US over the Rio Grande, according to agency officials.

Guardsmen took over a public park in Eagle Pass where migrants who are caught crossing the border illegally are detained by the US Border Patrol. They then refused to allow federal border agents in to the park.

It's not the first time Mr Abbott has used the state's National Guard to harass the federal government. On Thursday, Texas state officials prevented a Border Patrol boat from patrolling in the same region, according to a source familiar with the situation.

«They are denying entry to Border Patrol agents to conduct our duties,» the official told CBS News. They said they did not know «what authority [Texas officials] have over the federal government.»

The Justice Department filed a complaint with the US Supreme Court following Mr Abbott's decision.

«Texas's new actions demonstrate an escalation of the State's measures to block Border Patrol's ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies,» the Justice Department said in the filing.

Eagle Pass residents were reportedly frustrated by the invasion.

«They tell me that the mission is to prevent undocumented people from crossing into Eagle Pass,» Mayor Rolando Salinas said in a Facebook post on Wednesday night. «That is not a decision that we agreed to. This is not