Thread by @TXCivilRights

We got a win! This Tuesday, a federal judge ordered that Pamela Rivas be given back her land, which was seized for the border wall in Los Ebanos, TX. This is the end of a condemnation fight that began under Pres. Bush in 2008.

Rivas said that "going up against all the power of the federal government was intimidating, but this land has been in my family for generations." Before he died, she promised her father that she would "fight to keep the land that belongs to us." texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/sto…

Over THIRTEEN YEARS after Pres. Bush condemned her land for construction (and nearly a year into the Biden Administration), our client's land has finally been returned, along with payment for the years the federal government took her land without compensation.

Los Ebanos is home to the last international hand-pulled ferry connecting the United States and Mexico. Before border militarization of the Los Ebanos Port of Entry, the Rivas family had a small souvenir store with customers on both sides of the border. texashillcountry.com/los-ebanos-fer…

Attorney @RickyAGarza: "Pamela Rivas never gave up and we shouldn't either. This would not have been possible without the work of countless advocates who never stopped fighting the racist border wall. We welcome the revestment of this land but know the fight isn't over."

Advocate @RobertoAleLopez: "President Biden is eight months late, and there are nearly 100 condemnations still being pursued in the courts while active wall construction continues in the Rio Grande Valley." politico.com/news/2021/04/1…

Advocate @RobertoAleLopez: "If the Biden Admin can return this land, there is no reason why it can't do the same for the Cavazos family and the dozens of others facing border wall construction across the Valley." texasstandard.org/stories/a-texa…

Join us in celebrating this victory for Pamela Rivas! It's important to enjoy the wins, because the fight against the racist border wall is far from over. #CancelTheWall