The Trump Administration Keeps Awarding Border Wall Contracts but Doesn’t Own the Land to Build On
The government’s strategy of awarding contracts before acquiring titles to land in Texas has led to millions of dollars in costs for delays. Things could get even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden stops border wall construction.
Dec. 23, 2020, 5 a.m. CST
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The Trump administration awarded border wall contracts to build on land it doesn t own in Texas
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LA GRULLA, Texas The federal government said it needed Ociel Mendoza s land on the outskirts of this tiny Texas town and it couldn t wait any longer.
The Trump Administration Keeps Awarding Border Wall Contracts but Doesn’t Own the Land to Build On ProPublica 12/23/2020
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues.
LA GRULLA, Texas The federal government said it needed Ociel Mendoza s land on the outskirts of this tiny Texas town and it couldn t wait any longer.
Credit:
This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.
Also, sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
LA GRULLA, Texas The federal government said it needed Ociel Mendoza s land on the outskirts of this tiny Texas town and it couldn t wait any longer.
Each additional day of delay was costing the government $15,000 as contractors waited to begin construction on the border fence slated to go through Mendoza s ranch, the Department of Justice argued in court filings. By Nov. 24, the tab for the delay had reached nearly $1.6 million, the land acquisition manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an affidavit.