City of Eagle Pass to be reimbursed $1 Million for seizure of Shelby Park by Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star
By: Victoria Martinez, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2025
Texas State Representative Heriberto “Eddie” Morales, Jr. of Eagle Pass, Texas announced on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 that the 89th Texas Legislature has approved to reimburse the City of Eagle Pass the sum of $1 million dollars for the State of Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park by Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial Operation Lone Star, which deprived the City and its citizens the use and enjoyment of the 47 acre public park nestled on the banks of the Rio Grande River for more than a year.
Representative Morales stated in his official Texas House of Representative Facebook Page that “this Legislation Session, I was proud to work on the securing a $2 million reimbursement in the House Budget for the City of Eagle Pass for the state takeover of Shelby Park. In large part, the aim was to return the $2 million of taxpayers….” funds the City of Eagle Pass lost due to unavailability of the public park to host the 57 Music Fest during April 5-7, 2025, requiring to change the venue to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino property just weeks before the scheduled event.
Morales added that “after negotiations, the Texas Senate settled on a $1 million reimbursement in the final budget proposal for the City of Eagle Pass. While it’s not the full $2 million I requested, this is a meaningful step to correcting a working for Eagle Pass taxpayers and poor fiscal management. It is my hope that the next Mayor of Eagle Pass and City Council use these funds for the benefit of all Eagle Pass residents.”
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. congratulated and thanked Morales for advocating for the reimbursement of the $2 million and successfully negotiating the $1 million of reimbursement funds. Mayor Salinas will remain in office until June 16, 2025 when the newly elected Mayor of Eagle Pass is decided in the June 7, 2025 runoff election between Aaron Valdez and Monica J. Cruz and the runoff election results are canvassed and approved by the City Council.
The State of Texas spent over $12 billion of taxpayer funds to finance Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial Operation Lone Star and is now seeking reimbursement from the Trump Administration.
