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Shelby Park in the Texas border city of Eagle Pass became a focal point in tensions between the state and the Biden administration over immigration enforcement. The park lies adjacent to the Rio Grande and sits right next to an international bridge connecting Eagle Pass to the Mexican city of Piedras Negras.
More than a year after the State of Texas took over Shelby Park during the peak of illegal border crossings, it has now reopened to the public.
Eagle Pass residents say the development is bittersweet — the gates are open, but ongoing military presence at the park has made them hesitant to fully embrace the space again.
For decades Shelby Park was a place where people around the community gathered: Children played baseball and soccer; the sound of Tejano music blasted at yearly festivals and carnivals.
Juan Cruz Moreno, a Vietnam veteran and retired teacher in Eagle Pass, remembers a time when the park used to belong to the people.
“We had celebrations. We would go there and see fireworks and all that stuff. So, that's something that the kids remember," he added.
That began to change as the park became a keystone for Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star — an $11 billion border security crackdown.
In January 2024, during an unprecedented number of immigrant crossings along the southern border, the State of Texas fully took over the park.
In December 2023 — right before the Texas National Guard closed the gates — U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported nearly 52,000 immigrant encounters in the Del Rio sector. That number sat at just under 1,000 in March 2025.
In early April, the big, black metal gates of the park quietly reopened. The soldiers retreated from the gates.
But Operation Lone Star’s grip was still visible.
Shipping containers and concertina wire still lined the banks of the Rio Grande. Surveillance helicopters still flew over the park.
"There is no longer a need for Texas to maintain northern-facing barriers, though the state will maintain barriers and a presence on the border itself," said Andrew Mahaleris, a press secretary with Abbott's office.
Additionally, the Pentagon announced in March it would send more active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Amerika Garcia-Grewal, the co-director of the grassroots nonprofit Frontera Federation, said that the “State of Texas has only abandoned the gates. They have not left the park, so they still have just as much machinery and men and equipment."
Resident Jorge Villalpando said the park used to be a place the community came together for big event, including the annual springtime festival, Noches Mexicanas.
Since the park's closure, this event has been held at a smaller nearby park — significantly reducing fundraising efforts. Despite the park’s reopening, residents still don't have access to the only boat ramp on the Rio Grande.
Garcia-Grewal said using the riverfront was an important aspect of Shelby Park. “We have no access to the river, to fishing, to the boat ramp," she said. "Then of course, there's the damage to the park itself."
Easter weekend was a popular time for families to gather near the river — little girls in dresses posing with their baskets.
This Easter, the park was quiet.
Priscilla Olivarez, senior policy attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said the state’s takeover of the park had an impact on Eagle Pass residents: “Wanting to access a park, wanting to access a community space, is something that we can all relate to as Texans.”
Villalpando questioned the need to have several state and federal agents patrolling the border.
“There are enough Border Patrols like they used to do it. I mean, how did they do it before without all the National Guard being there?” he asked.
For now, Eagle Pass residents said Shelby Park’s reopening was a step forward. But they still hope for a future with baseball games, community festivals, and canoe races on the Rio Grande.
