Texas is expanding its grasp of a border city that has become the focus of a political struggle between the state and federal government. Republican Gov.

Texas will build an operations base for up to 1,800 National Guard members in Eagle Pass, expanding the presence of soldiers in the border city where the state has clashed with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday.

The 80-acre property along the Rio Grande will open a short distance from Shelby Park, the riverfront area where Texas National Guard members have installed miles of razor wire and began denying access to U.S. Border Patrol agents.