Despite a partial government shutdown that lasted nearly 35 days, President Trump’s efforts to secure more than $5 billion for a border wall fizzled last month. But that has not stopped efforts that were already underway to shore up sections of the southern border in two Texas counties. The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill that was passed in March contained more than $1.5 billion for border security, including fencing and levee fencing.

[Beyond the wall: Dogs, blimps and other things used to secure the border]

Trump brought the issue up again in his State of the Union address: “In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall — but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built. I will get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier — not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down.”

Existing fence

Federal, state and local

protected areas

NORTH

San

Diego

Tijuana

Pacific

Ocean

U.S.

CALIF.

Mexicali

Sonoyta

ARIZONA

Tucson

Nogales

NEW

MEXICO

200 MILES

Ciudad

Juarez

El Paso

MEXICO

U.S.

Presidio

Area where new fencing was funded

by Congress in March 2018

Big

Bend

Piedras

Negras

TEXAS

Eagle

Pass

Laredo

Reynosa

Brownsville

Houston

Matamoros

Gulf of Mexico

Existing fence

Los Angeles

NORTH

Federal, state and local

protected areas

San Diego

Tijuana

CALIFORNIA

Pacific

Ocean

U.S.

Mexicali

ARIZONA

Sonoyta

Tucson

Nogales

NEW

MEXICO

MEXICO

Ciudad

Juarez

—El Paso

U.S.

Presidio

Big

Bend

TEXAS

200 MILES

Piedras

Negras

Eagle Pass

Area where new fencing was funded by Congress in March 2018

Laredo

Reynosa

McAllen

Matamoros

Brownsville

Houston

Gulf of Mexico

Existing fence

Federal, state and local protected areas

N.M.

ARIZ.

CALIF.

TEXAS

Houston

El Paso

U.S.

Ciudad

Juarez

Tijuana

Big

Bend

Nogales

MEXICO

McAllen

Area where new fencing was funded

by Congress in March 2018

Reynosa

200 MILES

Federal, state and local protected areas

Existing fence

NEW

MEXICO

CALIF.

ARIZONA

Houston

TEXAS

El Paso

Tucson

Ciudad

Juarez

U.S.

Tijuana

Sonoyta

Eagle

Pass

Big

Bend

Nogales

Piedras

Negras

Laredo

MEXICO

McAllen

Area where new fencing was funded

by Congress in March 2018

Reynosa

200 MILES

Existing fence

Federal, state and local protected areas

Area where new fencing was funded

by Congress in March 2018

CALIFORNIA

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

TEXAS

U.S.

El Paso

Tucson

San Diego

Ciudad

Juarez

Mexicali

Tijuana

Sonoyta

Eagle

Pass

Nogales

Big

Bend

Pacific

Ocean

Gulf of

Mexico

Piedras

Negras

Laredo

MEXICO

McAllen

Matamoros

Reynosa

200 MILES

Of the nearly 2,000 miles of southern border, only about 700 have any sort of man-made physical barrier. That mix of fencing, vehicle barriers and levees is mostly in the western states, where the government controls large swaths of the adjoining land. Much of the rest of the border is dotted with foreboding natural features — rough mountains, expansive deserts and the Rio Grande, which divides the United States and Mexico in Texas. Efforts to build in the Lone Star State are complicated by the fact that a vast majority of the land adjoining the border is privately owned and property owners are not known to give up their land without a fight.

This new construction is focused in Starr and Hidalgo counties. Despite apprehensions for illegal entry being four times lower than they were in 2000, these two counties in the Rio Grande Valley are hot spots for arrests.

Existing

fence

Fence earmarked

to be constructed

McAllen

STARR

CO.

HIDALGO

CO.

CAMERON

CO.

U.S.

McAllen

Brownsville

MEXICO

Reynosa

Matamoros

Detail

20 MILES

Existing

fence

New barriers funded in 2018,

yet to be constructed

STARR

CO.

HIDALGO

CO.

20 MILES

U.S.

Detail

McAllen

Brownsville

Reynosa

Matamoros

McAllen

MEXICO

Existing fence

New barriers funded in 2018, yet to be constructed

STARR

CO.

HIDALGO

CO.

McAllen

Harlingen

U.S.

Roma

McAllen

MEXICO

Reynosa

Matamoros

Detail below

10 MILES

Existing fence

New barriers funded in 2018, yet to be constructed

STARR

CO.

HIDALGO

CO.

CAMERON

CO.

McAllen

U.S.

Harlingen

Roma

Miguel

Aleman

McAllen

Brownsville

MEXICO

Reynosa

Matamoros

Detail below

10 MILES

Existing fence

New barriers funded in 2018, yet to be constructed

STARR

CO.

CAMERON

CO.

HIDALGO

CO.

U.S.

McAllen

Harlingen

Rio Grande

Roma

Miguel

Aleman

McAllen

Brownsville

MEXICO

Reynosa

Detail below

Matamoros

10 MILES

NORTH

Rio

Grande

Penitas

U.S.

MEXICO

Bentsen Rio

Grande Valley

State Park

2 MILES

National

Butterfly Center

Madero

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Reynosa

Hidalgo

McAllen

Pharr

Santa Ana

National

Wildlife

Refuge

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Weslaco

U.S.

MEXICO

Progreso

Nuevo

Progreso

Mercedes

Rio

Grande

NORTH

Rio

Grande

Penitas

MEXICO

U.S.

Bentsen

Rio Grande Valley

State Park

2 MILES

National

Butterfly Center

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

Madero

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Reynosa

Hidalgo

Port of

Entry

Hidalgo

McAllen

Pharr

Pharr Port

of Entry

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Santa Ana

National

Wildlife

Refuge

Donna Rio Bravo

International Bridge

U.S.

Weslaco

MEX.

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Progreso

Nuevo

Progreso

Progreso/Donna

Port of Entry

Mercedes

Rio

Grande

NORTH

Rio

Grande

Penitas

MEXICO

U.S.

Bentsen

Rio Grande Valley

State Park

2 MILES

National

Butterfly Center

Madero

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Reynosa

Hidalgo

Port of Entry

Hidalgo

McAllen

Pharr Port

of Entry

Pharr

Santa Ana

National

Wildlife

Refuge

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Rio

Grande

Donna Rio Bravo

International Bridge

U.S.

Weslaco

MEXICO

Progresso

Nuevo

Progreso

Progreso/Donna

Port of Entry

Mercedes

Rio

Grande

NORTH

2 MILES

Rio

Grande

Penitas

MEXICO

U.S.

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Bentsen

Rio Grande Valley

State Park

National

Butterfly Center

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

Madero

Reynosa

McAllen

Hidalgo Port of Entry

Hidalgo

Pharr Port

of Entry

Pharr

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Santa Ana

National Wildlife Refuge

Rio

Grande

U.S.

Rio

Bravo

Donna Rio Bravo

International Bridge

Weslaco

MEXICO

Progreso

Nuevo

Progreso

Progreso/Donna

Port of Entry

Mercedes

Rio

Grande

McAllen

Penitas

Bentsen

Rio Grande Valley

State Park

Pharr

Weslaco

Mercedes

HIDALGO

COUNTY

National

Butterfly Center

Madero

U.S.

Progreso

Santa Ana

National Wildlife

Refuge

Progreso/Donna

Port of Entry

Donna Rio Bravo

International Bridge

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

Hidalgo

Nuevo

Progreso

Hidalgo Port of Entry

Reynosa

Pharr Port

of Entry

MEXICO

Rio Bravo

2 MILES

McAllen

Penitas

Bentsen Rio

Grande Valley

State Park

Mission

Pharr

Weslaco

National

Butterfly Center

Mercedes

HIDALGO

COUNTY

Madero

U.S.

Progreso

Santa Ana

National Wildlife

Refuge

Progreso/Donna

Port of Entry

The 2019 border compromise spending bill prohibits any fence building within the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Donna Rio Bravo

International Bridge

Anzalduas

Port of Entry

Hidalgo

Nuevo

Progreso

Hidalgo Port of Entry

Reynosa

Pharr Port

of Entry

MEXICO

Rio Bravo

2 MILES

Here, the Rio Grande splits the sister cities of McAllen, Tex., and Reynosa, Mexico. The continuing resolution passed in March included funding for 33 miles of new barriers in Starr and Hidalgo counties, but much of it is focused south of McAllen. It specifically exempts the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, which local birding and wildlife activists had fought for.

Construction was imminent atop a levee that runs through Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Adjacent to the state park, the National Butterfly Center, a nonprofit dedicated to the study and conservation of wild butterflies in their natural habitats, straddles a levee upon which a new barrier was slated to be built. A photo posted by the butterfly center showed an excavator parked next to their property. On Wednesday night, a compromise bill to avert another shutdown included provisions to exempt the areas.

Just to the east of the butterfly center and situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, Chimney Park RV Resort will be fully walled off by the new barriers. The new sections of fencing will have gates to allow access to the other side. However, they may still pose a problem for wildlife that need to access the river in the state park and wildlife refuge.

Levee fence near Penitas, Texas

Gaps in the barrier

allow for traffic

to pass.

To Rio Grande

500 feet

Levee fencing

Concrete with

bollards on top

Cross-section schematic

Bollards or

fencing up to

18 feet above

top of levee

Access road

Concrete

levee wall

Elevated levee

on Penitas side

Rio Grande

side

Levee fence near Penitas, Texas

Border patrol truck

Levee fencing

Concrete with

bollards on top

Gaps in the barrier

allow for traffic

to pass.

To Rio Grande

500 feet

Bollards or fencing up to

18 feet above top of levee

Access road

Cross-section

schematic

Concrete

levee wall

Elevated levee

on Penitas side

Rio Grande

side

Levee fence near Penitas, Texas

Bollards or

fencing up to

18 feet above

top of levee

Access road

Border patrol truck

Levee fencing

Concrete with

bollards on top

Concrete

levee wall

Gaps in the barrier

allow for traffic

to pass.

Elevated levee

on Penitas side

Rio Grande

side

To Rio Grande

500 feet

Cross-section schematic

President Trump’s claims that his wall is under construction have repeatedly been debunked by fact-checkers, as the bill specifically authorized “primary pedestrian levee fencing,” “primary pedestrian fencing” and “secondary fencing.” The closest thing to a wall would be the levee fencing, which is a concrete levee topped by bollard fencing.

Christmas lights line the doorway of La Lomita Chapel in Mission, Tex. The chapel, a historic landmark, sits on land the U.S. government is examining as a potential path for a border wall. (Sergio Flores/For The Washington Post)

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville also fought the new construction in court. It claimed that the plan to build on top of the levee adjacent to La Lomita mission — a small white chapel on the banks of the Rio Grande — infringed on the rights of Catholic parishioners to practice their faith by obstructing them from attending services.

Planned levee fence near Madero, Texas

Madero

S. CONWAY AVE.

Chimney Park

RV Resort

Canal

Canal

Canal

MEXICO

U.S.

The 2019 border compromise spending bill exempts this portion of the planned fence.

La Lomita

mission

Reynosa

Planned levee fence near Madero, Texas

The 2019 border compromise spending bill exempts this portion of the planned fence.

Canal

Canal

Madero

La Lomita

mission

S. CONWAY AVE.

Canal

U.S.

Chimney Park

RV Resort

To Reynosa

MEXICO

Planned levee fence near Madero, Texas

The 2019 border compromise spending bill exempts this portion of the planned fence.

Canal

Canal

Madero

La Lomita

mission

Canal

S. CONWAY AVE.

U.S.

Chimney Park

RV Resort

To Reynosa

MEXICO

A judge ruled that the government can begin surveying for the barrier last week and the diocese vowed to fight the ruling. But the new compromise bill explicitly states that no new barrier can be built on the land near the mission.

Update: This graphic has been updated to reflect the House-Senate conference agreement on border security, which extends prohibitions about building in certain areas along the border, including La Lomita Historical Park, Bentsen State Park and the National Butterfly Center, which had sued to stop construction.

About this story

Fence delineations for Hidalgo County via Dr. Kenneth D. Madsen of Ohio State University . Starr County barrier locations are from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documents obtained by Texas Observer. Apprehensions data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Penitas aerial imagery via Pictometry International and Google Earth for Madero. Protected lands data via USGS. Maps4News

Originally published Feb. 10, 2019.

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