Feds Move to Obtain Land for Trump Border Wall

Texas landowners along the Mexican border received letters from Washington recently notifying them of the government’s intent to buy their land to build the border wall. Acquiring the real estate could be the biggest step for President Donald Trump to overcome in his effort to secure the border.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent letters to Texas border landowners notifying them as to the government’s intent to purchase the land needed for construction of the border wall promised by President Trump and previously authorized by Congress. One family received a letter offering $2,900 for 1.2 of their 16-acre property, the Texas Observer reported.

The Flores family has owned the acreage, located near Los Ebanos in Hidalgo County, for at least five generations, Yvette Salinas told the Observer. Her mother, Maria Flores, received a letter from the DOJ in January offering the compensation via a 21-page “Declaration of Taking,” the first step in an eminent domain condemnation process.

Salinas said this is the second time her family has received the $2,900 offer. The first notice came in 2008 following the passage of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Following President Barrack’s election in 2008, the Justice Department backed away from the process as the administration took a different stance on building the wall.

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