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'They were driving over the ruins,' border spike at Fort Brown threatens landmark

By: Christian von Preysing
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Thousands more footprints and tire tracks were registered this spring in the Fort Brown area of Brownsville as immigration peaked, and a border security surge arrived in response. Right in the middle are the delicate ruins of the first battle of the Mexican-American War. 

The roughly 400 acres south of UTRGV's campus saw a huge increase in immigration this April and May, peaking at an average of 2,700 illegal crossings per day, according to Mike Banks, named Border Czar by Gov. Greg Abbott this January.

Following the spike, the U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department surged personnel to the area. The City of Brownsville operated a staging area where migrants would wait before processing by Border Patrol.

Archaeologist and historian Rolando Garza said the spike in activity impacted the protected National Historic Landmark.

"There's definitely evidence that they were driving over the ruins," Garza said. "I saw parked vehicles right there next to them. There's traffic, UTV's, DPS trucks and National Guard." 

Garza is a board member at Brownsville's Heritage Museum. Before that role, he worked with the National Parks Service, studying the Mexican-American War for 20 years.

In 1846, the U.S. pushed south past the Nueces River to the contested area north of the Rio Grande. U.S. soldiers assembled a fort out of soil overlooking Mexican-held Matamoros. Mexican forces fought and captured a U.S. unit along the northern side of the Rio Grande, and then started a canon bombardment on Fort Brown.

"The fort is an earthen fortification, which is very effective," Garza explained. "It withstood a six-day siege with only losing two defenders, which unfortunately, one was Major Jacob Brown. The fort would be named after him and the city of Brownsville would be named after him," 

The U.S. Congress would declare war, capture Mexico's capital, and take half of its territory.

The landmark itself is on property owned by the International Boundary and Water Commission. A fence was erected around the site.

"The IBWC is monitoring the situation at Fort Brown and working closely with CBP and other agencies to make sure any disturbance is kept to a minimum and repaired," an agency spokesperson said.

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