Texas soldiers have temporarily taken down a portion of barbed wire that was installed to keep immigrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into El Paso, according to the state.
National Guard soldiers deployed to the border removed the circular concertina wire in what the Texas Military Department said was related to maintenance, not a reversal of the state’s enhancement of border enforcement.
“Wire was temporarily removed to allow the International Border and Water Commission access to mow and service the area,” the Texas Military Department said in a statement Monday afternoon. “The Texas National Guard increases security personnel during the period of mowing and reinstalls the barriers upon completion. This mowing reduces vegetation and increases the ability to detect illegal activity.”
Cameras set up on the border by local news outlet Border Report showed the fences had been taken down and disassembled into piles of razor wire across the area.
The state reinforced security personnel in the area while the fence was down. Portions of the fence have been put up since Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) initiated the Operation Lone Star border security initiative early on in 2021.
The concertina wire installations have been focused around El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Brownsville.
Wire in El Paso was installed at the end of 2022.
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This part of El Paso had been a top spot in the nation for illegal immigration in late 2022 and early 2023, as thousands of people were apprehended daily.
In recent months, the number of illegal immigrants arrested at the Texas border has declined significantly. People who attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border are increasingly trying to enter California.