Texas Border Wall Construction Takes Big Leap Forward Amid Ongoing Migrant Crisis
By: Jonathan Davis
This is good news! Texas is going to build 700 miles of border wall on private land with the consent of the private land owners. No court cases, no eminent domain, no federal land. I’m thinking about contributing to this!
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Texas Border Wall Construction Takes Big Leap Forward Amid Ongoing Migrant Crisis
by Jonathan Davis about 9 hours agoupdated about 5 hours ago
The Texas government is set to sign a contract with private firms to build hundreds of miles of wall along the state’s border with Mexico, continuing a federal project begun under former President Donald Trump.
The plan is to build an additional 700 miles of wall, according to a post on the website of the Texas Facilities Commission.
The agency announced that it had selected an engineering and design firm to oversee wall construction.
“The Texas Facilities Commission, which oversees state contracts, said in a statement it anticipates awarding the border wall project with more than $1 billion in available funding by mid-September,” the Washington Examiner added.
“The commissioners must vote on the decision before the contract for a program manager can be awarded, and the final monetary amount has not yet been determined. The program manager will handle the budget and determine where to build,” the outlet continued.
Over the summer, as illegal migrant crossings soared and state officials were unsuccessful in getting additional assistance from the Biden administration to stem the record numbers crossing into the state, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that Texas would continue the previous administration’s border wall construction.
Donations to fund the wall have surpassed $54 million, Abbott’s office has announced . And last month, the Texas Legislature approved a $1.8 billion spending bill to combat illegal immigration, with nearly half going towards border wall construction, according to the Examiner.
The outlet reported that there is only a “substantive barrier” along just 150 miles of the 1,250-mile border Texas shares with Mexico.
State officials have identified 700 miles where border wall can be built.
In addition, the landowners have “agreed to let the state put up a barrier, which will allow Texas to avoid the lawsuits that held up the Trump administration’s efforts to seize private land for construction,” the Examiner noted.
“While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows. Texas is responding with the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen,” Abbott said in an earlier statement.
“Open-border policies have led to a humanitarian crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants, drugs, and contraband pour into Texas. The State of Texas is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the border crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally,” he continued.
“Our efforts will only be effective if we work together to secure the border, make criminal arrests, protect landowners, rid our communities of dangerous drugs, and provide Texans with the support they need and deserve.”
Abbott posted a video in June of the border wall project, which had already begun.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said in a June 1 declaration.
“Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them. Texas continues to step up to confront the border crisis in the federal government’s absence, but more must be done,” he continued.
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2011? Trumps fence design choice wasn’t conceived of yet. Trump wasn’t President for another 5.5 years….
besides a lot of people can’t do that and if nothing was there then thousands could cross unimpeded instead. It’s almost funny that because of Biden and Abbott’s counter move there will now be more border fence/wall than Trump even promised.
just a date in someone's camera
how about 12/08/2019?
It’s still worth the cost because it cuts traffic from a flood to a tiny trickle and the time to climb down the other side has to be counted. Then the designed lighting, cameras and parallel road makes their apprehension likely. With the pandemic the border should be sealed shut, not held wide open.
Texas isn't the only place that illegals and contraband are pouring in. Arizona and New Mexico are getting their share as well. Texas just gets more publicity.
All the border states have problems. Texas though has both the longest border with Mexico and the least wall at present. There may not be private property right on the border in the other states like Texas has. Maybe Arizona could build wall on private property just inside the federal easements?
Well, it’s a clever idea, and it’s a shame that border states feel like the federal government has abandoned them to an unprotected border.
My main legal concern for it would be that courts might see it as violating the holding in US v Arizona. Theoretically, a non-federal barrier could be interpreted as interfering with - or attempting to supersede - federal policy and practices on immigration.
The federal governments hands were tied by poor decisions made in 1836, later not corrected when Texas was readmitted to the Union
in 1870.
Spanish land grants and deeds date back to 1711. They were honored when Spain ceded Mexico's independence in 1824.
Texas ceded from Mexico in 1836 and specifically included restitution for landowners affected by the new border, protecting their property
rights and water rights along the Rio Grande.
The readmission of Texas was not swift or easy. The Texans were not going to budge on the border issues. So they remained the same
mishmash of thousands of parcels of private property along the border.
In contrast, when California, Arizona and New Mexico joined the Union they ( had to ) granted an easement to the Feds for whatever reason might occur.
I see no reason why Abbott will be treated any differently unless he pays FMV for the land which will eat up his funds overnight.
Just my 2 cents.
The owners are voluntarily allowing Texas to build it on their property. Many land owners are desperate for this. There is no FMV or eminent domain for the miles in question here.
Sorry, I live in Texas, you don't.
This is nothing but wishful thinking by the Abbott administration and other wall lovers who think
immigrants, drugs and crime are overwhelming the southern border because it's a dog whistle to people who
DO NOT live on the border.
I do live in a border state with a positive experience with border walls in populated areas.
Oh, so suddenly walls are successful and you can attest to it from 1100 miles away?
Wow!
The one on the San Diego County/Mexico border that goes into the ocean is effective.
Well it’s different in that Texas is not enforcing any law against any foreign individuals, unlike Arizona. Also the federal government has no say as to what a state or individuals can build on private property. Private property owners can’t be coerced into accepting endless trespassing on their property. That would amount to a taking. I think Texas has the legal edge on this matter.
Another reason to build that wall!
because it borders China?
/S
??? The open border is a super spreader event in the time of the delta variant. It makes no logical sense to have an open border during a pandemic. Then Biden sending covid positive immigrants to red communities in red states where delta is now at its worst.
potential spreader.
We have never NOT had an open border...
Can you prove that? How many has Mr. Biden sent to Redding? to your home? stop spreading BS
The regime isn’t sending them to Ca because it’s too expensive here. The hot place will freeze over before I’d ever listen to or obey some command or demand from you.
"The hot place"? Texas froze for 2 weeks, while the governor twiddled dee and twiddled dumb, fired all of the Ercot
board and turned his attention back to restricting voters and exaggerating the "border crisis" for political gain.
Come on down to "the hot place" and be the first to sue FaceBook or Twitter under his latest deflection
from the state COVID issues.
Everybody is welcome in Texas.
Illegal aliens are not welcome in Texas.
Then stay away,,,
I don't know why they are welcome anywhere in the USA
True story, every year in Doylestown PA,
ICE raided the trailers out behind the Anthony's Pools place and deported 30 to 40 of the buggers at the end of the season.
It took a couple of years for the Mexicans to catch on, but hey, it was a free trip back to Mexico...
It's a friggin game of economics.
I’m not an illegal alien except here where my Christian conservative views are alien and many wish the expression of them would be made to be illegal here.
Biden openly welcomes them to red state America