Thread by @Perla_Trevizo

Since there’s a lot of talk around #Texas building its own #borderwall after @GregAbbott_TX announced his plans, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go over what @jinatx and I found last year via @texastribune @propublica
texastribune.org/2021/06/16/tex…

Part of the problem is a lot of it is privately owned along a winding river.
Fisher built 3 mi on the banks of the Rio Grande. More than a year later, it still has serious erosion issues (disputed by the builder) and is at the center of lawsuits.
propublica.org/article/he-bui…

Some of the funding came from a private fundraising effort. But last August, some of the fundraisers for #WeBuildtheWall were arrested on fraud charges. #Trump pardoned Steve Bannon, his former advisor, but for the rest, the case is ongoing.
texastribune.org/2020/08/20/we-…

The cost to build a border wall can be very high. A contract for a single 11-mile project in #Texas was for $308 million, or $28 million/mile. And we found initial contract amounts kept ballooning.
propublica.org/article/record…

In order for the government to build a wall here, they had to get landowners to sell parts of their land. Many refused, so the government sued & awarded contracts anyway. We reported that as of mid-December, 15 miles had been completed in South Texas.
texastribune.org/2020/12/23/tru…

So what is Texas facing?
It will take A LOT of money to make a dent.
It would have to rely on private citizens’ willingness to give up their land.
Or risk bldg too close to the river, which has been shown to be dangerous and potentially in violation of international treaties.