Big Bend border wall update briefs

As CBP continues to schwaffle about any plans to put up a physical border wall in the Big Bend area, Forrest Wilder at the Monthly continues to wonder how much good it would do, especially an anti-vehicle version. 

At the Observer, Sam Karas agrees on the stupidity while warning all of us not to take any premature victory laps whenever we here claims that walls aren't going up in Big Bend. A very good point.

A historic Catholic chapel in Mission will not be cut off by border wall construction there; Team Trump had threatened eminent domain to take over the land. (Good thing it wasn't Mooslim; it would be crushed.) 

No-bid border wall contracts in Big Bend area

In addition to the question of whether or not a border wall will actually be built through Big Bend National Park — an issue that currently still SEEMS to be "no" but be skeptical — we have a new issue:

No-bid contracts. 

The full (for now) exposure of this dirtiness comes courtesy of a federal lawsuit. A main focus is Tommy Fisher, who built a small section of privately funded wall during Trump 1.0 that drew Der Gruppenführer's scorn then, but his largess now.

That said, the company filing the lawsuit, Posillico, has nowhere near clean skirts on wall-building, let alone wall-building opposition. This is simply another company wanting its share of the grift:

The company has previously built 43 miles of federal wall in South Texas and also won a contract to construct sections of Gov. Greg Abbott’s state border project. The state project experienced many of the same construction delays and cost overruns as Trump’s border wall.

There you are. 

Big Bend gets a physical wall reprieve, for now (UPDATE: Or does it?)

Building the big boondoggling wall through Big Bend — opposed by local-level, actually knowledgeable Republican elected officials, contra state-level MAGAts sucking up to outgoing Ag Commish Sid Vicious Miller — seems to be on hold for now. 

Sam Karas, a Rio Grande river guide and sometime reporter for the Big Bend Sentinel, tells the Monthly how breaking the story about the wall originally broke him. 

The story notes, which I didn't think of, that arguably a border fence ANYWHERE along the river is illegal under international law:

In 1848, when the United States and Mexico set the slippery boundary between the two countries somewhere in the Rio Grande, the framers of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo wrote that the Rio Grande “shall be free and common to the vessels and citizens of both countries; and neither shall, without the consent of the other, construct any work that may impede or interrupt, in whole or in part, the exercise of this right.” We vessels and citizens had certainly been impeded and interrupted.

Well, there you go. Surprised that argument hasn't been raised more. 

The story talks about other wall stupidities in the area, like trying to fence off every ephemeral wash, creek and arroyo that runs into the river. 

Karas adds more about how she got wind of the story at The Border Chronicle. 

The Observer, with the Chronicle, ties wall building to political resistance. 

The Texas Signal discusses the "smart" border walls in general. 

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Update, May 19, 2026: Maybe it does NOT have a reprieve. WHY has a contract been awarded? Do we have the head of the Customs and Border Service having lied in April? 

It SEEMS that what we have, with an update to that just-above link, originally published May 15, coming today, that what we have is federal bureaucratese misspeak. Here's what allegedly is being contracted:

In a statement on Tuesday, a CBP spokesperson said the $1.7 billion would be used to construct 17 miles of vehicle barriers and patrol roads and 205 miles of “system attributes,” which is comprised of a mix of patrol roads and surveillance technology. The spokesperson denied that the contract funding would be used to build “a 30-foot-high barrier” in either of the two parks in the region or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.

Pardon me if I remain skeptical until I see what happens. And, does this mean new road? Why not just upgrade the old River Road? Make it good enough so that rich college kids driving through closed roads signs don't get their asses stuck, unlike they did in reality. 

Build the unbuilt gappy state wall?

The Trib has a longform piece on how Tex-ass' state border wall is riddled with gaps due to landowners who refuse to let the state build.

The wall is not a singular structure, but dozens of fragmented sections scattered across six counties, some no wider than a city block and others more than 70 miles apart. Each mile of construction costs between $17 million and $41 million per mile, depending on terrain, according to state engineers.

Will Trump try to go federal on these gappy sections?

Or, will this year's Lege reverse its 2021 take that allows private citizens to say no?

Officials cannot seize private land for the wall like they can for other public infrastructure projects because the Legislature prohibited the use of eminent domain for the wall program.

I'll give you 2-1 odds against on that, in part because neither Strangabbott nor Dannie Goeb has pushed for that. As many rural people know, eminent domain is a serious issue here in Tex-ass. It's been tightened up a bit in the past few years, but bills for major tightening have never crossed the finish line. In essence, even as Texas urbanizes more and more, eminent domain is a third-rail issue.

That said?

Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, filed a bill for consideration in January that would allow the use of eminent domain for the border wall. He said it’s the only way to eliminate the possibility of holdouts.

“The Texas border wall will take years to complete, therefore we are rolling the dice in an extreme manner, potentially putting ourselves back where we are today if we do not take the necessary steps to protect our citizens, our sovereignty and our southern border,” Creighton said in a statement. “Texans should not wait on anyone to save us, including the federal government.”

Keep an eye on that.

As for the feds taking over? Even there, eminent domain on private land for this issue in federal court would surely be rough legal sailing.

Washington’s experience building border wall, however, shows how eminent domain is far from a panacea. The Department of Homeland Security has regularly filed condemnation cases to seize land, but the first Trump administration estimated it would need 21 to 30 months to secure parcels in South Texas, a 2020 Government Accountability Office report found.

Plus, as the story notes, so far, this time around, Der Grüppenfuehrer is talking mass deportations, but very little about a wall, since it's clear, contra 2017-21, that Mexico ain't paying for one.

And, per the Trib, most the state wall, gaps aside, isn't in some of the high-traffic areas, between Del Rio and El Paso, anyway, which will be the focus, one presumes, of further federal wall-building.

As of right now, "bribes," as in the form of a 5x increase in per-mile payments, have been Strangeabbott's resort.

As for these gaps allegedly being so secretive? Between some coyotes having cheap drones, or others able to study land ownership, no, they're not as secretive as Strangeabbott might be wanting the Trib to think.

And, yes, we all know — or all of us who aren't the state version of MAGAts — that this is political kabuki theater:

Raul L. Ortiz, retired chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, said the rural wall construction appeared to be more about sending a strong message than deterring border crossings.

“Part of the building of that infrastructure, even in the rural areas, was as much a political statement as it was a means to have an effective wall,” Ortiz said. “You’re making a statement that, hey, we’re going to do everything we can to deter and impede folks from crossing, to include building wall in areas where it may not be the most effective tool.”

That said, expect nothing to change.

Waiting for some minion of Strangeabbott or Goeb to call the Trib traitors.

All things Texas border: A roundup

First, I think it's kind of funny that Wallbuilder Joe has either actually pissed off, or else, more likely, caused major loss of face at home, to Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Speaking of? The Monthly drops in on Eagle Pass and says it's become a "movie set" fulled with political posturing, especially by wingnut media and then by wingnut state guvs, non-Texas division. 

A second piece looks at how the Border Patrol and DPS, once, and recently, bosom buddies enough that Strangeabbott's Operation Lone Star got takeoff assistance from the BP, have now become frenemies at best. The Lone Star aid from Wallbuilder Joe is itself semi-disgusting, and probably is a partial explainer of why Biden has yet to federalize the Texas National Guard. That aid didn't just start with the tonks on the ground with the BP. Oh, the piece is another good argument for us going back to the old system of putting BP agents on a 4-5 year rotation, like Methodist preachers.

In light of all that, is "Texit" moving closer to reality in light of the SCOTUS ruling on border razor wire? Maybe Texit lite? The Monthly looks. Realistically, as people who read such things know, in terms of dinero, Texas is a "taker" state, not a "donor" state, on net federal government money. If it seceded, all US military bases would close. All defense contractors would have to leave the state to keep US DoD dollars.

Steve Vladeck takes his own long look at federalism versus state immigration enforcement.

Texas Progressives talk early election news

SocraticGadfly got to hear Republican SD-30 candidates schwaffle on vouchers.

Off the Kuff interviewed six candidates for the open SD15: Karthik Soora, Michelle Bonton, Molly Cook, Rep. Jarvis Johnson, Todd Litton, and Beto Cardenas.

Paxton WILL be deposed in the whistleblower lawsuit, per Texas Supremes.

Three more Ill Eagle deaths are on Abbott's hands, after the Texas National Guard in conjunction with DPS seized Shelby Park in Eagle Pass and blocked the Border Patrol from entry, but they're also on Joe Biden's hands for his namby-pamby "take Abbott to court" rather than sending US troops to Eagle Pass to arrest the TNG and DPS if they wouldn't stand aside. Per Teddy Roosevelt talking about William McKinley, Biden has the backbone of a chocolate eclair.

Anti-Hispanic racism is still alive and well in Texas.

Matt Rinaldi's being in bed with Farris Wilks is leading even some GOPers to raise eyebrows.

Ryan Puzycki explains why cities must ensure that all of their places are for everybody. 

The Fort Worth Report estimates the impact of the new requirement to elect appraisal district board members on Tarrant County.  

D Magazine predicts 11 stories that will shape Dallas this year.

Texas Progressives talk wallbuilder hypocrisy and more

Reminder: Texas Progressives stand with Gaza despite Genocide Joe and despite an Israeli cabinet member's talk of nukes. 

BlueAnon may have thought I was talking about Wallbuilders' David Barton's hypocrisy, or that of followers. Nope.

Dade, Strangeabbott and Danny Goeb can't agree on exactly what to do on more border controls. That said, anybody with a legal brain CAN agree that House Bill 4, written by my Legiscritter, actual lawyer and House impeachment manager David Spiller, is unconstitutional and anything stiffer certainly will be.

Meanwhile, folks in the area of Sunland Park, New Mexico, are laughing at Strangeabbott's "state-line wall." 

And, speaking of walls, Wallbuilder Joe's new effort has the Department of Homeland Services stooping to even using the same company as Wallbuilder Greg and Wallbuilder Don. It also has Wallbuilder Joe's DHS doing the same environmental waivers as Wallbuilder Don's. One thing different? Wallbuilder Joe trying to bury the news that an actual contract had been issued. Biden and DHS jefe Alejandro Mayorkas have blamed a 2019 Congress (Dem controlled, BlueAnon!) for passing the funding and it not later being revoked. Environmentalists note that it still doesn't require the DHS environmental waivers. Neither responded to Observer questions, thus indicating their true colors.

In national politics, SocraticGadfly looks at how RFK Jr. is bringing new campaign bucks, big donors who previously were neither R nor D, to his 2024 presidential campaign, as well as the GOP lean of previously affiliated donors.

Collin County owes two prosecutors of weaselshit Warren Kenneth Paxton a bunch of money, and it sets a precedent as his case finally nears trial. Speaking of, it's funny as hell to hear hypocritical Kenny Boy object to this as some sort of planned stall tactic. Collin County indicates it will still refuse to pay; the Trib's story doesn't say what leverage the judge has in that case. 

Was Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell Jr. right before he retracted his original statement that election denialist Laura Pressley caused a poll worker's heart attack?

GenocideGreg joins GenocideTed in support of GenocideJoe by traveling to Israel.

ERCOT gets a budget bailout, but probably still isn't fixed. Joining the two national grids would help, but ...

Tex-ass hates Inflationmonger Joe's Inflation Reduction Act, until Wayne (Not A) Christian can leech off it, and all the better if it's leeching off antienvironmental carbon capture bullshit.

Off the Kuff presents the October campaign finance reports for Texas Democratic Congressional candidates.

Neil at the Houston Democracy Project said Republican plans to attack civil liberties if returned to White House in 2024 are very much an issue in Houston and Harris County electoral politics.

CultureMap reports on a new Rice University NSF-funded study on flooding. 

The Texas Living Waters Project lauds Houston's new building codes as a win for the environment. In the Pink Texas meets the new Speaker.  

El Paso Matters decries the harsh new anti-immigrant laws introduced during the special session.  

Texas Election Source announces its re-launch.

Another reason to "soak the rich" on taxes? Their effect on climate change. 

Dear Leader's call to modernize nuclear weapons pits is a disaster and boondoggle at Los Alamos.

Cowards Biden and Garland vs Strangeabbott and McCraw

So, why hasn't President Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland publicly announced that he's starting a federal investigation into Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's blockading the Rio Grande and DPS Executive Director Steve McCraw's enforcement of it? Yeah, the DOJ says that Strangeabbott has until today to "commit to" (big loophole right there) removing it.

Update, this afternoon: Wallmonger Joe is suing, after all. Why no criminal charges?

Abbott's border offensive is probably not that effective, per the WSJ (as well as not being wanted by many Texas border counties and burning a hole in the budget) but it is inhumane. Border/Lines discusses in more detail, as well as discussing Biden and the Border Patrol.

Above and beyond that, why hasn't Biden told Strangeabbott: "Since you think you and McCraw are so damned good at border protection, I'm removing ALL Border Patrol from the Texas sector immediately"?

Reality? As places like Border/Lines have long reported, Biden has replaced Trump's Title 42 with a tech-neoliberal equivalent of it, and somebody in the White House knew that that's what Biden's craptacular-working smartphone app for asylum application would be. Jeff St. Clair talks more in the second half of last Friday's Roaming Charges.

Bottom line is that Appmonger Joe and Strangeabbott are playing kabuki theater with each other.

As the government shutdown continues: Playing 'gotcha' with Dems on wall votes

The likes of Brie Brie Joy, writing for The Intercept, and Lee Camp, among others, last week played "gotcha" with national Democrats, claiming that then-Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, along with current Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in 2006, had no problem voting for a wall.

Politifact rates that half-true, and I agree.

Politifact describes several ways in which the Secure Fence Act was different from Trump.

First, it was for sections of the border as a stand-alone item. It was not to fund part of a barrier for the entire border.

Second, as the word "fence" in the bill's name indicates, it was NOT for a wall. And, although Trump, in his semi-dotage, has slipped at times on Twitter, it's clear he wants a wall.

Indeed, Politifact notes that Trump has called what was approved in 2006 too weak.

Politifact has a related piece from Obama's presidency here.

It's not a totally false claim, whether out of the mouth of wingnuts trying to score purity points or from alleged leftists looking for another "gotcha" on Democrats.

Since, at the level of national politics, I long ago did my duopoly exit, I don't normally feel the need for such gotcha.

So far, only the wingers are saying, "But Dems voted for $25 billion for the wall a year ago." They did. But, for Democrats, that was for a 10-year payout, not one year, it was tied to DACA renewal, and even more, to a better process for legal immigration and other issues, and Trump rejected that.

Besides, as Shep Smith said Jan. 18 in owning Chris Wallace, current House Dems campaigned on not giving Trump more wall money. And took back the House.

Again, so far, only wingers are saying that. Stay tuned, as the shutdown continues.

And, per David Bruce Collins, the Dems themselves, after the disastrous Pelosi-Schumer response to Trump (contra Bernie Sanders' much better personal one), need to up their storytelling and narrative game. (That then said, George Lakoff isn't a perfect adviser on such things.)

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That said, as Eoin Higgins notes, on things like reauthorizing federal flood insurance just before the shutdown, there ARE things on which to play gotcha on Dems.

Que sera la barrera

Looks like while the Department of Homeland Security’s “virtual fence” may work on a “virtual border,” it pretty much sucks in real life.

The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted “virtual fence” on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said.

The move comes just two months after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced his approval of the fence built by The Boeing Co. The fence consists of nine electronic surveillance towers along a 28-mile section of border southwest of Tucson.

And, I am SHOCKED, shocked, I say, that government-overbilling defense contractor Boeing would build a piece of crap.

The reason it doesn’t work probably is in part due to this:

Although the fence continues to operate, it hasn't come close to meeting the Border Patrol's goals, said Kelly Good, deputy director of the Secure Border Initiative program office in Washington. …

The Border Patrol had little input in designing the prototype but will have more say in the final version, officials said.

Of course, doesn’t that sound like a company that has years of government contract experience, especially on DoD items?