Dozens of residents urged the Eagle Pass City Council to press pause on an international-bridge development and federal river works they say threaten public access and the health of the Rio Grande.

At the meeting, long-time local speaker Jesse Fuentes said the federal plan to install buoys along the river would restrict access at Shelby Park and could “kill the river,” imperiling local water-intake infrastructure. “This is a way to a good way to kill the river,” Fuentes said, arguing the work could split debris and endanger the intake area the city and county rely on.

Representatives of local advocacy groups pressed the council for details and transparency. Alfredo Sanchez of the Border Organization told the council leaders had discussed an item on the executive-session agenda and asked why the memorandum of understanding with a private investor was not named publicly. “We demand answers,” Sanchez said, urging council to reveal who stands to gain and what the city would provide in return.

Jose Alonso Corpus of the Eagle Path Border Coalition said his group supplied peer-reviewed data and federal standards showing likely increases in air pollution, diesel emissions and flood risk tied to the proposed development. Corpus urged the city to establish air-quality baselines and commission an independent economic study to quantify long-term costs to taxpayers.

City staff did not adopt a formal position during open session; the agenda included related items moved into executive session for further legal and financial review. Council members acknowledged citizens’ concerns and directed staff to follow the executive-session process for confidentiality where required. Council did not vote on a formal resolution during the public comment period.

What happens next: several public-comment speakers asked the council to table agenda items 19 and 21 (flagged by speakers as duplicates on the agenda) until the public is provided with project details and the identity of any private investor. The transcript records requests for independent studies and for the city to better explain legal and fiscal steps the municipality may take, but no independent study was commissioned during the meeting.