March 13, 2024

The Honorable Merrick Garland
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C.

Matthew Klapper
Chief of Staff to Merrick Garland

Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division

Subject Line: Injustice in Eagle Pass: DOJ Action Urgently Required

Dear Attorney General Garland and Mr. Klapper,

We write to you with urgent concern regarding the alarming situation escalating in Eagle Pass, Texas, under the direction of Governor Greg Abbott. Representing human rights organizations and thousands of concerned community members in Texas and across the U.S., we collectively oppose the seizure of Shelby Park and the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass by the Texas Military Department on order of Governor Abbott.

We call on your Civil Rights Division to investigate the extremist militias, including the Take Back Our Border caravan, and take decisive action to restore access to Shelby Park, urge the state of Texas to remove National Guard troops and all barriers to access the Rio Grande, and ensure the processing of migrants seeking protection. Furthermore, Governor Abbott’s plans to construct a military base camp demands immediate scrutiny for potential civil rights violations and other violations of federal law.
For the last seven months, Governor Abbott has placed razor buoys in the Rio Grande, laid concertina wire along the river banks, and occupied Shelby Park with state National Guard soldiers. This dangerous political spectacle has not only endangered human lives in violation of federal law. It also endangers wildlife, inflicting devastating harm on the environment.

As tensions escalate, fueled by dangerous conspiracy theories of “invasion” and “great replacement,” armed extremists are converging on Eagle Pass, instigating confrontations and leaving residents feeling unsafe. The state’s blatant attempt to exert control over federal powers is a violation of the Constitution and human dignity, safety, and environmental protections, and is unacceptable.

Moreover, militias in the U.S. are progressively gravitating towards heightened levels of violent extremism. Recently, a Tennessee man who planned to travel to the U.S. – Mexico border with weapons, body armor, and ammunition was arrested.
We commend the DOJ’s leadership in suing Governor Abbott for the illegal placement of the razor buoys in the Rio Grande and asking the U.S. Supreme Court to permit Border Patrol agents to cut the dangerous razor wire at the U.S. – Mexico border. Additionally, we are grateful for the DOJ’s recent meeting with resident Jessie F. Fuentes, who has been sounding the alarm for months, along with the Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Presente.org, and other state and national advocacy groups.

Mr. Fuentes adds, “Our beautiful and safe public park has been taken away from us, and turned into a military style staging area, now being used as a backdrop for political theater by Governor Abbott, who lives over 200 miles away, and out-of-state politicians. Meanwhile, local residents can no longer use our park for fishing, kayaking, flea markets, sports, barbecues, quinceañeras, or to have our children play, as we did daily for generations.”

Hate and anti-immigrant sentiment have no place in our nation. Constituencies from across the country have joined our calls in defense of human and environmental rights and in asking the DOJ to act swiftly. Extremist groups are bursting at the seams and our communities are extremely concerned that more militias will descend on the U.S.-Mexico border and threaten our safety. We look forward to your leadership in taking swift action to ameliorate this injustice.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to hearing back from you. If you need any additional information or have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Matt Nelson or Nancy Treviño at Presente.org via email at [email protected] or [email protected] or phone at (786) 201-8958 or (414) 721-6630.

Sincerely,

Presente.org
Eagle Pass Border Coalition
Border Vigil of Eagle Pass
Americans for Immigrant Justice
America’s Voice
Animals Are Sentient Beings, Inc
ARTivism Virginia
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Between the Waters
California Communities Against Toxics
CASA
Center for Biological Diversity
Citizens Caring for the Future
Coalición de Derechos Humanos
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Earth Action, Inc.
Estrella del Paso (Formerly DMRS)
Faithful America
Friends of the Wildlife Corridor
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Immigration Hub
Latin America Working Group
Lawyers for Good Government
MADRE
Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center
Muslim Advocates
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
350 New Orleans
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
No Border Wall Coaltion
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
People’s Action
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Rinascimento Green
Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC)
Rise Up WV
RootsAction.org
San Pedro 100
SEE (Social Eco Education)
Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
SoCal 350 Climate Action
Social Workers for Immigration Justice (SWIJ)
Southern Border Communities Coalition
Texas Civil Rights Project
Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services
Terra Advocati
The Enviro Show
The Quantum Institute
The Sidewalk School
Turtle Island Restoration Network
United American Indians of New England (UAINE)
United We Dream
Voces Unidas RGV
Wayne State University
#WelcomeWithDignity
Western States Center
Witness at the Border
Women’s March