Laredo Times

Border wall construction will soon be underway in Laredo. 

Residents of Webb County haven't had to consider a barrier since President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act in 2006. If surveying comes before building, and funding comes before surveying, the federal government is on track to make President Donald Trump's promise a reality.

Many Webb County residents argue that a wall will not be effective in keeping people out. Undocumented immigrants "are going to fight to get across even if they put up a wall,” Carlota Lugo told the Texas Tribune. “The illegals that just want to cross and live their lives, they are going to know how to do it. But if [Trump] wants it, what are we going to do?”

The Trump administration plans to use some funds diverted from military expenditures to build 52 miles of 30-foot ballard fencing in Webb County. Earlier this month, the administration also designated $3.8 billion from the Pentagon's fund for border barrier development. 

The Webb County Commissioners Court approved a measure that allows Customs and Border Protection access to a 15-acre strip of county-owned land so it could conduct property surveys and environmental assessments.

Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina opposes the wall but voted yes on the measure, saying the area the government wants access to is only 65-feet wide. 

“Some of the people are hating on me, and that’s fine because I said yes, I understand how it sounds [to them]. They say, ‘You’re against the  wall but you give them access?’” Tijerina told the Texas Tribune. “We’re talking about the federal government. What are we going to tell them? The federal government does what they are going to do.”

The county could sue the federal government to block survey crews, but Tijerina says that is not the best use of tax dollars. 

As of Feb. 14, landowners have signed 172 right-of-entry documents that give the government access to private land. A spokesperson for the Laredo Border Patrol sector headquarters said that 69 miles of border wall is planned for Webb County, including the 52 miles funded by the Department of Defense. 

The Laredo City Council has taken the opposite position and plans to fight the wall. 

“The best-case scenario is we buy enough time to see what happens in the  November election,” Laredo City Councilmember Alberto Torres Jr. told the Texas Tribune. “Worst-case scenario is the president gets re-elected and the federal government moves forward, so with us it’s a waiting game.”