Protesters march toward Shelby Park on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. A rally was held near Shelby Park protesting the current occupation of the park by the Texas Department of Public Safety as part of Operation Lonestar. The park, which became a global focal point for illegal border crossings, was once open to the public but is now closed to the public and heavily fortified. Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune

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

Ranchers scoffed, one claiming, “I think it’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of.” Skepticism spread among residents who noted the pull of economic opportunities had always drawn migrants into the U.S. through their city. The mayor at the time questioned, “What has America come to?”

But the city was outmatched. Ultimately, the federal government built a 1.8-mile long, 14-foot-tall black metal fence that slices around a municipal golf course and Shelby Park, which has re-emerged as the front lines of a new battle — one between the state of Texas and the federal government. Wedged in the middle are the residents who miss their park.

“We lost, but you know what, we fought,” said Jessie Fuentes, a local activist with a kayaking business he used to operate from the park. “Here we are again, defending our park of 47 acres. Our park where our kids play soccer, where we fish, where we go to the river. We can no longer do any of those things.”

Fuentes was among a series of speakers at a tiny rally Saturday to demand the state return Shelby Park, which was seized 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 locals who feel they are being occupied by the state of Texas with its $11 billion border security mission, Operation Lone Star.

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

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

The saga over 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 rescinded the agreement following residents’ complaints.

But that did not stop the state. In January, Salinas said he received a call from a DPS director who told him the state had taken over the park.

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

The state has not left since.

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

Among the locals who lament the park’s closure is Jose Corpus, a 52-year-old who was born in Eagle Pass and raised in Piedras Negras across the river. The park, he remembers, was the venue for big events, like a carnival, a Fourth of July bash or an international festival that celebrated the connections between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras.

The park Corpus sees now — mostly from above while crossing the international bridge into Mexico — is a scary sight that reminds him of a warzone filled with reams of concertina wire and uniformed soldiers clenching long guns.

“It’s difficult to explain the feeling,” he said. “Sometimes I feel helpless, frustrated that our political leaders don’t represent us. As a taxpayer, I pay money — my representation is not free.”

On Saturday morning, the rally crowd milled about in front of Shelby Park in the sweltering heat. Without a cloud in the sky, most sat or stood under the shade cast by trees and tents. Nearby, DPS troopers parked on each end of the block in two SUVs.

A floating buoy barrier piñata hung on a string between utility poles in the middle of the street. To end the rally, a group of kids beat the orange papier-mâché balls until candy rained down on them. Nearly 4 miles down the Rio Grande, Texas’ floating buoy barrier remained in the water.