EAGLE PASS, Texas — Two Texas National Guard soldiers assigned to Operation Lone Star were disciplined after cutting razor wire along the bank of the Rio Grande, according to a source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The soldiers reportedly cut the wire to give access to migrants with small children who had been standing in the hot sun for hours.
The CBP source, not authorized to speak with the media, told Breitbart Texas on Thursday that a Texas National Guard colonel informed the agents that two soldiers had been relieved of duty after they allegedly cut the razor wire. The colonel asked the Border Patrol agents not to ask any soldiers to cut the wire.
Border Patrol agents cut Texas razor wire installed on Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
The disciplined agents reportedly asked the agents on Thursday if they could cut the wire instead of the agents. They said they could cut it in a way that would be “easier to repair,” the source stated.
Border Patrol agents help migrant child through Texas razor wire. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Border Patrol agents have been seen cutting the razor wire to admit migrants who have, frequently stood for hours in the heat after crossing the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass, the sourc. The agents are required under controlling federal law to admit the migrants who have arrived on U.S. soil — even if they crossed the border illegally.
Texas National Guardsmen repair razer wire barrier cut by border agents. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government the exclusive right to regulate immigration.
In 1903, the Court in the Japanese Immigrant Case reviewed the legality of deporting an alien who had lawfully entered the United States, clarifying that an alien who has entered the country, and has become subject in all respects to its jurisdiction, and a part of its population could not be deported without an opportunity to be heard upon the questions involving his right to be and remain in the United States. In the decades that followed, the Supreme Court maintained the notion that once an alien lawfully enters and resides in this country he becomes invested with the rights guaranteed by the Constitution to all people within our borders.
Eventually, the Supreme Court extended these constitutional protections to all aliens within the United States, including those who entered unlawfully, declaring that aliens who have once passed through our gates, even illegally, may be expelled only after proceedings conforming to traditional standards of fairness encompassed in due process of law.
Breitbart Texas contacted the Texas Military Department, DPS officials, and the governor’s office for comment. An immediate response was not available by press time.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
