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PBS/AP REPORTS: Border Wall Construction To Begin In South Texas…THIS WEEK!

Here we go, it starts!


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Many people know that construction of various parts of the wall/fence have actually already begin in certain parts of the U.S./Mexico border, but things are getting ready to accelerate even more!

That’s according to new reports out today from the AP and PBS News, which say major border wall construction is set to begin THIS WEEK in Texas.

Strap in friends, the Trump Train is departing  the station!  

Destination:  Build That Wall!

Related:  Baker No Longer Apologizing For “BUILD THAT WALL” Cookie

News broke on a Facebook Page from something called the National Butterly Center, when they posted a picture of heavy machinery and the post said this:

8 law enforcement units around the National Butterfly Center this evening, as the first excavator rolled in & parked on land immediately east of us. Mission PD Officer Cabral was parked on our private property. He said effective tomorrow we will have NO ACCESS to our own land south of the levee. He said, “Effective Monday morning, it is all government land,” and they have orders to prohibit anyone from stepping foot on the levee, which sits on our private property. We know this is illegal and will be taking legal action tomorrow. Stay tuned! #RESIST North American Butterfly Association (NABA)

Local Fox26 confirmed the story:

The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property.

Heavy construction equipment was expected to arrive starting Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A photo posted by the nonprofit National Butterfly Center shows an excavatorparked next to its property.

Congress last March approved more than $600 million for 33 miles (53 kilometers) of new barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. While President Donald Trump and top Democrats remain in a standoff over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has pushed ahead with building what's already funded.

That construction was often described as fencing, and the government funding bill that included construction was supported by some Democrats in the House and Senate. CBP refers to what it plans to build as a "border wall system."

According to designs it released in September , CBP intends to build 25 miles (40 kilometers) of concrete walls to the height of the existing flood-control levee in Hidalgo County next to the Rio Grande, the river that forms the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. On top of the concrete walls, CBP will install 18-foot (5.5-meter) steel posts and clear a 150-foot (45-meter) enforcement zone in front.

Maps released by CBP show construction would cut through the butterfly center, a nearby state park, and a century-old Catholic chapel next to the river.

Many landowners oppose a border wall and have vowed to fight the U.S. government if it tries to seize their property through eminent domain. Court fights over condemning land could take months.

CBP said in its statement that it intends to start construction on federally owned land. Environmental advocates expect the government to use land that's part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge consists of dozens of parcels of land purchased over the last 40 years to create a corridor for endangered species and other wildlife.

The Department of Homeland Security can waive environmental restrictions to construct a border wall and issued its waiver for Hidalgo County in October . A coalition of environmental groups has sued DHS over its use of waivers. That lawsuit is still pending.

Congress last March required CBP not to build in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge after a public outcry. But it didn't exempt the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge.

"Santa Ana was not a big enough refuge to sustain all the wildlife down here," said Jim Chapman, a longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley and member of the group Friends of the Wildlife Corridor.

The National Butterfly Center released the text of an email sent by an attorney from the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawyer, Cliff Stevens, says in the email that construction will begin in mid-February "on federally owned land east of Bentsen State Park."

PBS News also confirmed the story:

The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property.

Heavy construction equipment was expected to arrive starting Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A photo posted by the nonprofit National Butterfly Center shows an excavator parked next to its property.

Congress last March approved more than $600 million for 33 miles of new barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. While President Donald Trump and top Democrats remain in a standoff over Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has pushed ahead with building what’s already funded.

Many landowners oppose a border wall and have vowed to fight the U.S. government if it tries to seize their property through eminent domain.

That construction was often described as fencing, and the government funding bill that included construction was supported by some Democrats in the House and Senate. CBP refers to what it plans to build as a “border wall system.”

According to designs it released in September, CBP intends to build 25 miles of concrete walls to the height of the existing flood-control levee in Hidalgo County next to the Rio Grande, the river that forms the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. On top of the concrete walls, CBP will install 18-foot steel posts and clear a 150-foot enforcement zone in front.

Maps released by CBP show construction would cut through the butterfly center, a nearby state park, and a century-old Catholic chapel next to the river.

Some construction had already started in April 2018 in Texas.

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Check out these videos for more details:

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Many border residents are in favor, according to this BBC video report:

Tell Pelosi to BUILD THE WALL!



 

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