EAGLE PASS — A prayer vigil was held Monday night mourning the loss of life resulting from Operation Lone Star.
The vigil took place in Eagle Pass' Shelby Park, the epicenter of Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial border security mission.
The participants recognized the migrants and the members of the Texas National Guard who have died on the border.
In previously held vigils, attendees were able to walk up to the river and lay flowers — but this time, the park's main boat ramp was locked. A grim necklace of concertina wire stretched around the space.
“We're here just to join with the families who have lost their loved ones,” said Pastor Javier Leyva, who stood next to the Rio Grande offering a prayer for the untold number of migrants who have died trying to enter the United States at the southern border.
He also prayed for the members of the Texas National Guard who have died during Operation Lone Star.
“Even though we focus on the immigrants, we also understand that the pressure that the National Guard people are going through,” Leyva said.
At least 17 Texas Guardsmen have died while deployed during the controversial mission to secure the southern border over the past three years, a Texas Military Department official testified to state lawmakers on Aug. 20.
At least two were killed in accidental shootings, and at least four others died by suicide.
The families of some of the guardsmen who died received $500,000 in compensation under the newly authorized Bishop Evans Act.
Abbott created Operation Lone Star to curb migrant crossings over the Texas-Mexico border.
Texas faces several legal battles with the federal government over the border mission, which uses Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety troopers to arrest migrants on state trespassing charges.
The Texas Military Department did not respond to TPR's request for comment about conditions surrounding the mobilization.
