Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is not backing down from President Joe Biden and his administration as he continues to defy orders to stop blocking the U.S. Border Patrol.

On Wednesday night in Eagle Pass, Texas, state officials arrested a group of migrants on suspicion of trespassing, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Texas has for weeks not allowed the Border Patrol to enter Shelby Park and the area around it, which is restricted with fencing and razor wire.

“The arrests by state authorities came as Texas defied a federal cease-and-desist letter to Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton that said the state had until Wednesday night to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from having full access to the Shelby Park area or it would refer the matter to the Justice Department ‘for appropriate action,’” the report said.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez said on X, formerly Twitter, that Texas State troopers were acting under a “disaster declaration” which was issued by the governor in March 2021.

“Under the authority of Gov. @GregAbbott_TX’s Border Disaster Declaration, @TxDPS Troopers are arresting illegal immigrants for criminal trespass at #ShelbyPark in Eagle Pass. Troopers are enforcing criminal trespass on single adult men & women. The State of #Texas will maintain a proactive posture in curbing illegal border crossings between the ports of entry. #OperationLoneStar,” he said.

The Biden administration sent Texas a cease and desist letter demanding that it stop taking actions against migrants and allow the Border Patrol in.

“The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol,” Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer said in the letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Those actions conflict with the authority and duties of Border Patrol under federal law and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.”

“Texas’s actions also improperly seek to regulate the federal government. I am writing to demand that Texas immediately cease and desist any actions taken by the State that block Border Patrol’s full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area,” it said.

“On behalf of the State of Texas, I write in response to your demand letter of January 14, 2024, in which you complain about how the Texas Military Department (TMD) recently seized and secured Shelby Park in the City of Eagle Pass, Texas. Your letter misstates both the facts and the law in demanding that Texas surrender to President Biden’s open-border policies. Because the facts and law side with Texas, the State will continue utilizing its constitutional authority to defend her territory, and I will continue defending those lawful efforts in court,” Paxton said in a response.

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should stop wasting scarce time and resources suing Texas and start enforcing the immigration laws Congress already has on the books. Your letter betrays a lack of on-the-ground understanding of what is happening in Shelby Park,” he said.