The Texas Facilities Commission awarded a $224 million contract to build nearly ten miles of 30-foot border wall segments on private or state-owned properties along the Rio Grande in Webb County.
The Fisher Sand and Gravel Company received the award of the $224 million contract to build approximately 9.4 miles of state-funded border walls. The state has already negotiated property access for 5.4 miles of the project.
The State of Texas has been in negotiations with ranchers with property along the Rio Grande in the Laredo and Del Rio Sectors for more than a year, one rancher told Breitbart Texas. These ranchers favor the project to stop the destruction of their property by migrants who tear down fences and leave tons of garbage in their wake, the rancher said.
One key issue for the ranchers is having access to gates to allow them to work both sides of the barrier after it is completed.
The project will be similar to 30-foot border walls built near Eagle Pass.
Laredo Mayor, Dr. Victor Trevino, expressed reservations about the new border wall construction, the Laredo Morning Times reported.
“Being the mayor of the largest inland port, I am a supporter of border security, but I am not convinced that a physical border wall will do anything except divide our community along partisan lines,” Trevino told the local newspaper. “In speaking with my counterpart in Nuevo Laredo, Alcaldesa Carmen Lilia Canturosas, we believe security can be achieved by working closer together than by being divided.”
The Laredo Sector is the second-least-busiest of the nine southwest border sectors. So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2022, Border Patrol agents apprehended only 13,622 migrants. This is down from 22,779 during the same period in FY22 — a 40 percent decrease.
The Del Rio Sector is the second-busiest sector. During the first quarter of this fiscal year, these agents apprehended 142,444 migrants. This represents an increase of more than 55 percent from the 91,600 apprehended during the same period last year, according to the December Southwest Land Border Encounters report.
Breitbart Texas reached out to Governor Greg Abbott’s office for additional information. An immediate response was not available.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.