American Military News 11/3/2019 by Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro
A month after the last set, the Trump administration issued a new set of waivers Thursday for between roughly 60 and 80 miles of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued the waivers that go into effect Thursday for barriers across land that stretches from Starr County to Cameron County.
“…The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations, and other legal requirements in order to ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads in the vicinity of the international land border in Cameron County, Texas, Starr County, Texas, and Hidalgo County, Texas,†the filing, which was published Thursday, read.
The waivers come as the beginning phases of wall construction and other preliminary steps continue throughout the Valley, with recent road clearing taking place near Donna, where construction crews are clearing land for patrol roads.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the contracts for this construction were awarded in late September with construction set to begin for these waivers “in early 2020 pending availability of real estate.â€
CBP officials noted that construction would bypass environmentally sensitive areas in the RGV.
“Border wall construction will not take place within the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, La Lomita Historical Park, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, within or east of the Vista del Mar Ranch tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, or the National Butterfly Center,†according to the agency’s website.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/11/new-waivers-to-expedite-border-wall-in-rgv/
