By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Top Picture is from Texas Representative Eddie Morales Jr. Campaign Facebook Page

  On Saturday, February 3rd, the Eagle Pass Police Department reported on its Facebook Page the IBC Bank located inside HEB was robbed. 

  The EPPD is currently investigating a reported robbery of the IBC Bank located inside HEB. A male suspect involved fled the area east towards the area of Stanley, Ralph, Edna and Lorilee Streets. Officers are actively searching this area for the suspect. It does not appear that a weapon was used but we ask the citizens in these neighborhoods to please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the EPPD at (830) 773-9044 or in case of an emergency please dial 911.

  On the same day, The Take Our Borders Back Convoy was enroute making its way to the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch in Quemado from Dripping Springs, Texas. According to J. Anson Bills, the manager of the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch, the Convoy was over 5 1/2 miles long and over 2000 people arrived at the Ranch. 

 Texas State Representative District 74 Eddie Morales Jr. issued a statement on February 3rd  on his Campaign Facebook Page  implying a possible connection between the caravan and  the bank robbery perpetrator may have been involved in the aforementioned Convoy.  It a statement he said, 

“In lieu of the current standoff facilitated by Governor Abbott at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, far-right agitators made their way to Eagle Pass in a convoy. Upon their arrival in our peaceful community, we experienced a bank robbery with the suspect still at large; and an unrelated arrest in the evening of a far-right extremist with ties to the convoy with an outstanding warrant and an extensive criminal past including a previous murder arrest.

  This crisis has burdened our local and state law enforcement, and these far-right agitators are complicating border enforcement efforts by acting as vigilantes attempting to secure the border themselves. Regrettably, Texas’s top elected officials encouraged these agitators to come to our communities knowing they would cause disruption and chaos.

  Let me be clear: We do NOT need these far-right extremists fraught with criminal histories and anti-immigrant hate in our community complicating border security efforts. It is incumbent upon our state leaders to make that known. In the words of the former President, ‘They’re not sending their best. . . They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us. . . They’re bringing crime.'”

On that same Saturday at 4 PM, the EPPD posted the a statement from the Eagle Pass Emergency Operations Center: ” The City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County would like to inform our citizens that with the recent arrival of different groups and organizations to our community in regards to the border situation, we as a City and County are responding to and monitoring the situation accordingly.” The statement continued with, “The current state of the situation is peaceful and it will be continuously monitored.”

 Bills responded to Morales accusations stating the IBC Bank Robbery in Eagle Pass occurred that Saturday afternoon well before the Caravan even arrived at the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch.

 Bills went on to say that others posting on Facebook have accused Convoy participants of robbing  a church food pantry in Quemado where the Convoy is rallying.  Bills disputes the claim stating the only food bank in Quamado is located at the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch.

 

 

 

 

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Pictures by Robinson

  February 4th, 2024: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has chosen Shelby Park the location the State has decided to stand its ground against the Biden Administration by calling on the Texas National Guard to keep the U.S Border Patrol out.  At this Sunday’s afternoon press conference, Abbott was joined by 14 other governors from around the United States to effectively double down on the Texas Governor’s move to take control of the Texas Border. 

  Governor Abbott said, “Since Biden has been elected, there have been three Houston’s who have crossed the border. An illegal immigrant who has gone across the Border 4 times and then murdered someone outside of Houston. There is imminent danger crossing the border all the time. I have used the laws in the constitution to help protect the states.”

  The Texas Governor cited Article 1, Section 10 Clause 3 of the U.S Constitution as the legal grounds for Texas to act to secure its border:

• Clause 3 Acts Requiring Consent of Congress

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

  Abbott and several other governors including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and a few others each took turns after Abbott speaking on the Border Crisis and the failure of U.S President Joe Biden on securing the United States southern border with Mexico.

Montana Governor Gianforte said, “I’m in the northern Rockies, we have seen a 78% increase in fentanyl trafficking.”

  “Not only has President Joe. Biden failed his duties but he has lied about it. We don’t stand with them in football but we stand with the State of Texas on the Border Crisis”” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.


  Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said, “This experiment in open border policy has been a devastating failure.”


  Covering the Governor’s press conference were dozens of reporters representing state, national and world news outlets. Reporters who were granted access to Shelby Park and the press conference were required to RSVP the Governor’s media office by Friday, February 2nd no later than 5 PM. There were a number of reporters who were permitted to enter.

  Outside of the Press Conference about a block from Shelby Park, protesters were situated on the sidewalks and street corners where the governors’ entourage would be passing by on its way out of the park.

  Those protests in favor of closing the border and supporters of Presidential Candidate Donald Trump stood on opposite street corners of those who were against the Texas Governor’s Border Policies. Of those included several members of the Brown Berets. The protests appeared to remain peaceful. 

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.