At the border, the American administration now wants to expropriate residents living along the wall between Texas and Mexico before the planned construction of new sections. The first eviction notices have been sent.
This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the above report. Click on the video to watch it in full.
At the Eagle Pass border between Texas and Mexico, there is not yet a wall, but rather a barbed wire fence for several hundred meters. It is supposed to deter migrants from crossing. Jessie has seen many attempt their luck. He has lived nearby forever. However, the American government has just asked him to leave. A written warning. “It’s a letter that demands access rights to your property. If I don’t sign this paper, I will lose my property along the Rio Grande River. The administration cites security and legal reasons,” the American border resident recounts.
Sixty American border property owners are affected, including Antonio. He is also facing eviction. The next section of the wall will be built below his land. He doesn’t really have a choice today. “In this letter, the authorities say they will destroy part of my house and I only have five days to sign the documents,” he confides.
This plan shows the current location of his house and the outline of the future wall. He will have to accept compensation of a few thousand dollars or be expropriated. “I have been living here for a long time and have my routines. It will be strange to leave after so many years. But the government is still the government. It can do whatever it wants,” he continues.
The Rio Grande, a natural border between Texas and Mexico. The riverbanks are constantly monitored by military patrols, cameras, and thermal sensors. Measures that are not deterrent enough. An unnamed cemetery serves as a reminder that migrants, at the cost of their lives, once tried to reach the United States.
But today, Donald Trump wants to go even further in his immigration policy. He wants to speed up the construction of the wall he began during his first term. The border police are contacting landowners to access the desired land.
“We have spoken to nearly 300 people whose homes are in the wrong place. These families have started to receive letters stating: ‘We are going to build a border wall, we want to negotiate with you to buy your land.’ I know some who have refused, especially because some of their family members are buried here,” explains Edgar, head of a border assistance organization.
1,300 km of the wall promised by Donald Trump have already been erected. It would take more than double that to cover the entire border with Mexico, with the aim of preventing or limiting illegal migrant entries.
