by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
A commentary type news report
The Uvalde Hesperian went to Eagle Pass Wednesday afternoon, January 31st to visit Shelby Park, a location that has been in the national spot light as Texas Governor Greg Abbott has drawn a proverbial line in the sand for the Biden Administration by not allowing U.S Border Patrol inside the perimeter of the park which is located next to International Bridge one along the banks of the Rio Grande River which is the U.S./ Mexico International Border.
Having visited the general area in October of 2023, the media and public were allowed to get several dozen feet from the razor wire lined banks of the Rio Grande. Today, Shelby Park has a large black steel fence preventing citizens and sometimes the media from accessing the park.
Upon arrival, I asked a National Guard soldier standing near a gate where the media was set up. ” I don’t know,” he said. I drove along the fenceline and spotted three men with large cameras, one with a zoom lens.
I asked them the same question about where the media was set up. One man in the group said, “We’re independent journalists.” and “This is kind of a big deal what’s happening here.”
He did finally answer my question, directing me to drive up the nearby hill and turn left and if I kept going, there would be some network TV reporters with video cameras on tripods to the left of the roadway at a high overlook area. After driving a bit, I found the cameras and a van with two reporters sitting just inside the side door. While taking pictures of my own, a woman in her 40’s arrived and told the TV crew. “We’re going live in 5 minutes.”
The location did provide a good vantage point looking into Shelby Park.
Before leaving one of the network reporters told me one of the National Guard officials at the gate would allow reporters to go into Shelby Park past the fenceline.
Having found the gate, I asked if media were allowed inside. The soldier said, “Yes, but it’s too late today to let anyone else in. He went on to tell me to come back tomorrow during “business hours” between 8 AM and 4:30 PM.
While Shelby Park was fenced off with national guard soldiers holding M-16 type rifles, just a few blocks away in the downtown area of Eagle Pass, people seen walking around seemed at ease just living life. One person was seen sleeping on one of the downtown’s benches.
A golf course is located near Shelby Park where golfers could be seen teeing off and driving golf carts near the banks of the Rio Grande. With my golf clubs in the trunk of the car, I could have paid to play nine holes and gotten much closer to the river. Not sure if there is a law against a news reporter impersonating a golfer.
The entire time I was near Shelby Park looking inside, I didn’t see any migrants.
A person is seen riding a skateboard on the International Bridge pedestrian walkway heading towards Mexico
