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.
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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