EAGLE PASS, Texas (Border Report) -- The State of Texas is building a new operating base that will eventually house as many as 2,300 National Guard troops stationed along the South Texas border. The new Forward Operating Base in Eagle Pass has over 700 troops currently stationed at the facility, which is being built near the banks of the Rio Grande in an area that has always been popular for illegal border crossings. Students, volunteers help fingerprint migrant remains with hopes of identifying them The rows of identical housing barracks will cost over $131 million and should be completed in November, Border Report has learned. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on May 31 toured the facility and welcomed in the first batch of 300 soldiers to move in as part of the state's Operation Lone Star border security initiative. "More will arrive here soon. Texas will not stop until we gain full operational control of the border," Abbott said at the time. Once completed, the state's military headquarters will relocate to this 80-acre base in Eagle Pass from its current location in McAllen, Texas Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer said. Migrants encounters by U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, where McAllen is located, have dropped dramatically this year. In August, encounters were down 71% from December, according to recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. More migrants encountered at South Texas ports of entry, CBP data shows Migrant encounters in the Del Rio Sector, which includes Eagle Pass, are down 74% in August from August 2023. But there were still over 2,400 more encounters in the Del Rio Sector in August than in the Rio Grande Valley, CBP reports. "As we see less and less traffic in certain sectors, it is important that we adjust where our border security efforts are taking place. Having this base camp here will help us respond to this ever-changing crisis. In the last two years, traffic has consistently decreased in Texas because of the work of Operation Lone Star. We will continue to fight President Biden's border crisis and this base camp here in Eagle Pass will help us in doing so," Texas Border Czar Mike Banks said. Many guard troops are stationed many miles from Eagle Pass and have to drive in for hours each day for duty, Suelzer said. Illegal immigration up 22% in New Mexico The base is located a mile down a caliche rock road, and white dust from the rocks and from ongoing construction coats most of the neighboring area and trees. The camp is located a few miles south of the two international bridges that lead to Piedras Negras, Mexico. Texas' new Forward Operating Base is located in Eagle Pass, Texas. Once fully built, military administrators will relocate from McAllen, Texas, to Eagle Pass. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report) "Having them here at this base camp will help our soldiers operate more efficiently to secure the border," Suelzer said. Border Patrol agent bitten in face during assault on Mount Cristo Rey The Texas Tribune reports that the new base will help to save the state $11.5 million per month in hotel costs. At the new base in Eagle Pass, soldiers will each get their own individual, but tiny, 118-square-foot sleeping quarters. They will have WiFi, as well as access to a 700-seat dining facility, recreation center, gym, laundry, and medical and psychological health facilities. But not everyone sees the need for such an expansive military presence here. Texas Guard verbally, physically abusing asylum-seekers at border, group says Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-founder of the Eagle Pass Border Vigil Coalition, tells Border Report that this is too much military in her small border town of just 28,000. She worries about pollution from the base, as well as crime increasing from having new troops living in town. Amerika Garcia-Grewal is co-founder of the Eagle Pass Border Vigil Coalition and opposes the new Texas military base in her border town. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report) “There are state reporting requirements. Every state is asking the military bases within their borders to report back on things like community engagement and crime statistics and public health," she said. "I've actually gone to the Eagle Pass City Council and spoken up and said. 'Where are these reports here in Eagle Pass?’” She worries about chemicals from the base polluting the Rio Grande. She says she has requested information on COVID-19 prevention, spread of STDs and tracking of the mental health of those on base. But she says she has not received information. There have been 17 National Guard troops who have died while serving in Operation Lone Star, some from suicides. "What I want to know if those deaths are happening in Eagle Pass, what is being done to prevent that?" she said. Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border Border Report reached out to the Texas Military Department and requested what steps they are taking to keep the community informed, and about pollution concerns from the growing base population. This story will be updated if information is received. Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].