Rio Grande City, Alejo Clarke Jr. walkes across the Land he has Hunted and Fished all His Life, but which is soon to be Blocked-Off Completely by an 18-foot Border Wall. “This is the piece they want to take out of me,” said Clarke, who is Fighting Back against the Government’s Push to take Control of His Land. Trump’s (R) Border Wall is back, and more Expensive than His First Term. Congress recently Allocated $46 billion in Taxpayer Funds to Pay for it.
Now that Process is Restarting, with Money from Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” For South Texans, that means again Grappling with a Confusing and Highly Unpopular Eminent Domain process, in a Region where manyFfamily Ranches predate their Inclusion in the U.S. and rely on Access to the Rio Grande as their only source of Water. Since Trump's Election, Border Encounters have Fallen further to their Lowest Levels since the 1960s.
The Government this year, has filed Dozens of Eminent Domain Lawsuits against Texas Landowners, continuing a Process that began in the First Trump Administration. The Cases are complicated, often involving Small Patches of Land with Poorly-Documented Titles and Generations of Owners. One Pending Case, where the Government is seeking to take just over One-Tenth of an Acre, lists 130 Defendants, many of them “Unknown Heirs” of deceased former Owners.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem (R) called the Completion of the BorderWwall Crucial to National Security. “Successful mass deportations mean nothing if we don’t control the border and keep future illegal aliens out,” She wrote in a New York Post Opinion Column in June. “That’s why the BBB legislation also funds hundreds of miles of new border wall and water-based barriers in the Rio Grande, which will permanently secure the border for decades.”
White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson (R) said Trump was Elected based on His Promise to Secure the Southern Border, and said a Border Wall is K to doing that Permanently. “President Trump cares deeply about protecting American communities and securing our border while also ensuring the wall is built in the most safe and efficient way possible,” She said.
Lawyers and Landowners recognize that the Government has Broad Authority to take Land for National Security purposes and Resisting it is rarely, if ever, Successful. Those like Clarke who Fight the Eminent Domain Cases, do so either on Principle, to Delay the Process in case Political Winds shift, or to try to Increase their Compensation. In Starr County, Politics have been Shifting Rightward for several Political Cycles for what Locals said are mainly Economic reasons. In 2020, some who Shifted their Votes to Trump, said they Opposed the Wall but didn’t consider it a Factor, because He hadn’t Successfully Built much in His First term.
Texas began an effort to build its Own Border Wall, across Land the State Purchased or Obtained Agreements for from Owners. Crews working on Lighting and Camera systems along a stretch of New State Wall, on a recent afternoon, were asked to Clear Out so a Sorghum Farmer Leasing the Field could Spray Pesticides.
Some 200 miles Upriver, in Eagle Pass, the State of Texas installed a Floating Buoy Barrier in the Rio Grande. Now, the Federal Government is following Suit. Last month, Noem Signed a Waiver to Expedite Installation of 17 miles of a “Waterborne Barrier” near Texas’ Southernmost Tip.
Clarke, a 58-year-old Starr County Native, was among those who Fought the Government’s taking of His Land, under the First Trump Administration only to see it Retun, He said He found Himself Over-His-Head. This time, He hired a Lawyer, though He says He’ll struggle to afford it. The Government is offering just $3,000 for the Acre it plans to take, leaving the Rest of the 9 Acre Tract South of the Wall. He’s also Angry about the Billions Allocated, which He said would be better spent Helping the Region Manage a Water Crisis that is Crippling Farms.
“I’m not gonna beat Trump—you know it and I know it,” Clarke said, adding that Security hasn’t been a Problem on His Property. “But if someone is going to kick your butt, are you just going to lie down?”
Some in South Texas said they were Ambivalent about the Wall, or simply viewed its Construction an Unavoidable Reality. Osvaldo Garcia, a Local Elementary School P, said His Neighbors met to Strategize during the First Trump Administration, when efforts moved forward to build a stretch of wall and access road behind the brushy backyards and swing-sets of their quiet neighborhood. Now, with the efforts Restarting, Garcia said He hopes the Government will at least Hire Local Workers and be Sensitive to Bright Lights along the Wall Shining into People’s Windows.
His neighbor Cynthia Garza, a Nurse, said She has never seen Immigrants Cross Her Property, but Regularly sees Emergency Room visits from those who Injured themselves Climbing over the Wall, convincing Her that it isn’t Effective. Garza worries about the Impact of Blocking Animals from the Only significant nearby Water source. “It just feels like we’re misallocating money,” Garza said.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment