Texas development group sues Trump administration over Big Bend border wall plans
A Presidio and Presidio County economic development organization is suing the Trump administration, claiming that plans to build a border wall and other technology will increase the risk of flooding in the Big Bend region.
The lawsuit claims that the construction of a border wall in the region without proper review processes violates the Rivers and Harbors Act and will run through the Presido Flood Control Project. Several tributaries of the Rio Grande run near the city of Presidio and through Presidio County.
Advocacy group Democracy Forward filed the lawsuit on behalf of Presidio Municipal Development District in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Wednesday.
What they're saying:
The organization's president and CEO, Skye Perryman, said the border wall project represents "real harm to real people" that live near the project.
"Construction on the federal flood-control works in Presidio could compromise their integrity and leave the region vulnerable to deadly flash floods capable of destroying infrastructure, homes, farmland, and agriculture," Perryman said.
Court documents state the Trump administration did not seek permission from the Secretary of the Army for construction of any border barriers along the flood control project. The lawsuit claims that altering the flood control measures by adding concrete and bollard panels would alter the performance of the flood control project during extreme wind events and storms.
The lawsuit claims that building on top of existing earthen slope levees could lead to massive flooding in the region. Court documents claim the levees were essential to avoiding massive damage in 2008 when heavy rainfall caused flooding in Presidio. While levees in Presidio were fortified with sand bags to prevent massive damage, homes across the border in Mexico were flooded by 10 feet of water.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Big Bend sector is its largest, covering 77 Texas counties and 517 miles of border along the Rio Grande. CBP's Smart Wall map has the area divided into five project zones. Big Ben Project Two covers Presidio County and will have a primary border wall, according to the map.
Will a border wall be built in Big Bend National Park?
Advocates have been vocal about preventing a border wall from being built in Big Bend National Park.
Big Bend will see vehicle barriers, not walls along southern border
The Trump administration will begin building barriers in Big Bend National Park to prevent vehicles from entering through the southern border.
CBP officials said there were no plans for a traditional border wall in the park, but plans were in place to build vehicle barriers in some areas and to use other technology throughout the park to monitor border crossings in the area.
Last week, Rep, Henry Cueller (D-Texas) tried to add an amendment to a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would have prevented the use of federal funding to build barriers in the park. The amendment was shot down in the House Appropriations Committee.
The Source: Information in this article comes from court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.