US Mexico border fence

This family has been living on the same land for 230 years. Her property was deeded to her ancestors by the King of Spain. In late November she was informed that the plan border wall would cut through her plot and the army would need to store equipment there for six months. She refused. Now she’s awaiting a summons to refuse in federal court. She wants to set an example for her neighbors even though she knows she can’t stand up against the federal court. She says she’s not committing a crime by exercising her rights and in fact it ensures the government is following the law. She thinks the government will force her to sell her land when construction of the border wall begins later this year. The US Mexico border is two miles away and will run along flood levies, not the Rio Grande. For farmers here, large tracks of their land could end up on the wrong side of the wall, a difficult problem to fix. The landowner says the economic impact is going to be severe. When we tour the land, a border patrol agent pulls up alongside our vehicle. On the other side of her land, this 64 year old man is looking forward to the border wall. His 24-acre citrus farm is on the bank of the Rio Grande. He stands to lose three acres when the fence is built. He was born on this farm. He says illegal immigrants have taken his fruit, robbed him, shot at him, killed his dogs, and stolen his laundry off the line. they have even asked him to call a taxi for him in the middle of the night. He gave the border patrol ready access to his land. he thinks the wall won’t solve the problem of illegal immigration but will add a much needed deterrent. As a Spanish speaker and one who frequently visits border towns in Mexico, he says he has nothing against the vast majority of Mexicans. He takes me down along the levy where the river is in plain view. Once again we’re stopped by a border patrol agent. A moment later he points to a small boat inching out from the Mexican side. The border patrol agent rushes down to the river and the boat disappears. The man says this game of cat and mouse happens every day. He thinks the wall is essential and life here is too dangerous. He believes the border wall will work, while others believe it will hurt the economy. Both perspectives will be at the heart of a court battle in the months to come.