McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A 1.5-mile segment of state-built border wall on newly acquired land in Starr County in South Texas is completed, officials say.
Construction of the segment began less than three months ago when Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham came to rural Starr County in December to tout the benefits of the barricade in this spot.
She told Border Report the land had been previously used by Mexican drug smugglers and cartel and she says it is the location where women and children were sexually assaulted.
“When we purchased this land, we did so intending to fortify our southern border. The completion of this roughly 1.5-mile stretch of border wall is another step in the right direction in ensuring robust border security for our state,” Buckingham said in a statement Wednesday.
In addition to the 30-foot tall metal barricade, the Texas Facilities Commission has authorized the installation of security cameras to monitor the property, as well as lighting and motorized gates that are being installed to allow law enforcement vehicles to patrol the property, Buckingham said.
Last month, Tom Homan, who President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to be his incoming “border czar” said on social media that the federal government would use the state-owned Starr County ranch to help in its upcoming deportation and immigration policy plans.
It’s uncertainly, however, exactly what that means but immigration experts say they expect will quickly be spelled out once Trump is inaugurated on Monday.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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