![]() Gus Bovaīut some Valley residents, including those specially protected by the legislation, aren’t convinced the deal’s a victory for the region they call home. “I worked hard to include this language because protecting these ecologically-sensitive areas and ensuring local communities have a say in determining the solutions that work for them is critical.” Marianna Treviño-Wright at the National Butterfly Center. “This is a big win for the Rio Grande Valley,” Cuellar said in a Thursday press release. Along with 54 miles built a decade ago and another 33 miles that Congress authorized in March, the new funding is nearly enough to wall off the entire region.Ĭongressman Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat and the only lawmaker from the border who served on the negotiating team, spearheaded the effort to win protections for certain sites and immediately lauded the deal. But the proposal would also hand Trump $1.375 billion for 55 miles of new border wall, all in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, which is heavily Hispanic, poor and Democratic-voting. The deal, hailed by many Democrats and major media outlets as a liberal victory over Trump, would protect a number of important South Texas sites from Trump’s wall, including the La Lomita chapel, the National Butterfly Center and Bentsen state park. ![]() But as the elected representative of one stretch of the border in the Rio Grande Valley, I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that border voices are heard and a part of the conversation that will shape the course of our future.Late Wednesday, a group of congressional negotiators released the text of a much-anticipated border security compromise meant to stave off a government shutdown that would otherwise take effect Friday night. … It’s imperative we continue taking a stand against this hateful wall, and not give in to Trump’s fear-mongering and lies about immigrants and immigration. ![]() She has refused to sign over access to her property, and as the fight over land continues, owners must know their rights. People like Nayda Alvarez, whose land in Rio Grande City was handed down to her by her grandfather, vow to fight. Bush led to more than 300 cases of eminent domain, and more than 60 of those cases remain open today, including those with some families who have still yet to be paid by the federal government.ĭozens of landowners in the Rio Grande Valley have already received letters from the federal government seeking access to their land for soil tests, surveys, and for equipment storage. It was only in 2006 when a border wall project under President George W. … History shows that it is our border communities that bear the brunt of past eminent domain fights for border security. But that wasn’t enough for President Trump, so if allowed to stand, his declaration will allocate more money, taken primarily from money Congress approved for the military. The bill Congress passed will result in more than 55 miles of wall - all in Texas, and much of it in the Rio Grande Valley. Sixty-six percent of land along the border is privately owned, which is one of the main reasons I voted “no” on the appropriations bill that gave President Trump yet another down payment on his wall. The national emergency declaration, which essentially bypassed Congress, is the president’s latest move to build a wall across the majority of our country’s border with Mexico.īeyond the questions on constitutionality, which are already being challenged in the courts by 16 states, the use of eminent domain to obtain the land for the wall is something that will greatly affect the residents of the Rio Grande Valley. 15, declared a national emergency on our country’s southern border then promptly left the White House to spend the weekend golfing at Mar-a-Lago. President Donald Trump stood in the Rose Garden on Feb. The op-ed is excerpted below and available online here. ![]() ![]() Vela describes how border communities will bear the brunt of the damage for the border wall, and goes on to note, “I’ve long believed a barrier is not an answer for the Rio Grande Valley, not only because of the environmental impacts such a fence would have, but also because it would trample on the property rights of many Texas families.” Representative Filemon Vela (TX-34) has a new op-ed in the Corpus Christi Caller calling out the Trump administration’s use of eminent domain in its attempts to build a monument to intolerance and xenophobia along the border. Trump’s Unpopular Border Wall Not Only A Detriment to Environment, It Exploits Texas Communities’ Property Rights ![]()
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