Posted on 02/12/2018 2:14:59 PM PST by BeauBo
(Congressman Henry) Cuellar said the $25 billion that the Trump administration has requested will be used to financed about 250 miles of barriers along south Texas. The new construction would be primarily between Laredo and Brownsville, his office said.
DHS officials did not cite as to what the barriers would look like, Cuellar said.
(Excerpt) Read more at trillions.biz ...
Rep. Cuellar's district (TX-28) includes a lot of this border area (McAllen to North of Laredo), and his report is from briefings to Congress in just the last few days.
El Paso and San Diego Sectors no doubt also have significant segments planned.
The Trump Administration has a serious plan - now we just need the money.
I know nothing of the topography, but Texan FReepers are welcome to educate me.
Build the WALL! Not fencing!
Its flat. Easy to build on.
That area is mostly open, not much on fences. Mostly guarded by bp.
Maybe. The Fish and Wildlife Service just declared a new endangered species today: The Texas Hornshell, a mussel that live in the Rio Grande.
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I don't care what they look like, so long as they have one of these on top, about every mile or so:
The Rio Grande is the International Border between Texas and Mexico, for the whole 1,254 miles.
The Southern end (about the last 100 miles) is what is called the Rio Grande Valley. It is relatively densely populated on both sides of the border/river, so there is a lot of traffic back and forth. It has about the highest rate of illegal entry of the whole length of the US/Mexico Border.
Although it is pretty flat, there are two big challenges: river flooding and private property. The river presents a particular engineering consideration, due to flood control and even changing of its course. There are many individual property owners along that stretch of border, that each need to be settled individually.
Sounds like you know the area.
How would you barrier Falcon Lake?
If the Rio Grande changes course, what happens to the boundary?
“Build the WALL! Not fencing!”
The use of the term “fence”, is just that Democrat Congressman trying to spin it. Homeland security plans to specify the kind of barrier that it considers will be most effective in that particular terrain.
Border Patrol really likes the see through steel bollards, so they can keep an eye on what is going on South of the Border. Also, although they are hard to breach (and seldom are) the steel bollards are easier/quicker/cheaper to repair, when they are breached.
Where there are flood control concerns though, bollards don’t help at all, but a heavy concrete levee wall with bollards on top would.
The prototype phase that they conducted near San Diego, resulted with the recommendation that they combine features from the various prototypes, tailored to the terrain. In a lot of areas, they will likely have the see through bollards. They have been proven to be very effective.
There is a river to deal with...the Texas part of the border will be tough to deal with because of the river. Texas is where a wall may not be feasible.
I do know there has been consideration given to ideas from the Border Patrol, so I guess we will see what the end decision for that area is. Wall/Fence/barrier...I don’t care as long as it secures the border- along with patrols of course.
This is the part of the border most of those against securing the border say is “impossible to fence or build a wall” so I guess the idea is to do the impossible first. I like that idea.
Texas Mexico border is not 1254 miles. Your stat has to be way off.
And if so, Don't we have the technology and machinery to drive piles every whatever feet that we can use as a base or foundation for a permanent structure, be it fence or wall that we can attach to, or is that some kind of international water thing ?
“How would you barrier Falcon Lake?
If the Rio Grande changes course, what happens to the boundary?”
The experts will have to survey terrain, monitor traffic, and assess how to best reduce illegal entries with their available resources for tactical infrastructure. Falcon Lake is a tough nut. Big Bend, even more so. But those are not the high traffic areas of the border, so they are of lesser import.
I am not sure how the border is managed legally when the River changes course (there is a treaty), but it is better controlled now than it used to be, and hopefully this project will be used to further control the river.
There are some challenges that will likely get kicked down the road, but the highest traffic areas will get closed, and Border Patrol will be able to make more efficient use of its officers and resources when crossers are channeled into fewer, smaller, more difficult and more remote routes.
“Texas Mexico border is not 1254 miles. Your stat has to be way off.”
Well, what do you think the distance is? Looks about right to me.
“Texas Mexico border is not 1254 miles. Your stat has to be way off.”
Texas DOT says 1,254:
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/statewide/border-crossing.html
It is expensive and difficult to maintain to build barrier in the river. When built on land, it is much easier to include the needed patrol road in the same effort.
It has long been considered and rejected by Homeland Security and its predecessors.
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Not so difficult to build a fence in a river.
You have to build a weir, and put the fence on top of the weir.
It is possible to build in the river, but it apparently is not the best solution, as they continuously reject that option. Maintenance may be difficult/expensive, or operation may not be as effective, for patrolling/enforcement.
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