U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the beginning of construction for 13 miles of the Rio Grande Valley Wall System Project. The new improvements are on federal land in the McAllen Station area of responsibility, officials stated.
CBP officials stated that the construction is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The project area is along the border area west of Green Road, along the Mission Main Canal. It will be built along the existing earthen levees, according to information provided by CBP officials.
Crews completed the pre-construction activities, including clearing the land by about mid-February. The project does not include any land in Bentsen State Park or the National Butterfly Center, officials stated.
In February, the North American Butterfly Association filed a lawsuit against the federal government that sought to stop the Trump Administration from building border barriers on the National Butterfly Center located near Mission, Texas, Breitbart News reported at the time. Language in the FY 2019 appropriations bill prohibits construction in those two locations.