ZAPATA COUNTY, Tex. (KGNS) – A bulldozer was spotted June 4 in Zapata County near San Ygnacio as border wall construction continues on the southern border.
Protesters claimed contractors entered private property to start clearing a path. The federal government said all permits are in place.
Protesters said anger, frustration and concern are the reasons they have been patrolling the land.
Video shared by Elsa Hull shows bulldozers clearing the land this week. The work is creating a path close to the Rio Grande to make space for the border wall.
Protesters claimed part of the area that was cleared is privately owned.
“Mr. Ruiz, the owner of this property, received a right of entry request from the government. He did not sign. He’s fighting it. And they didn’t care. They dozed through here anyway,” said Hull, a border wall protester and San Ygnacio resident.
KGNS has not verified those claims.
“This is private property, and they did not care about private property. Like, injunction, no injunction. Like, they still came, they destroyed his intake water line, so now he can’t even get water into his house,” said Maxine Rebeles, a protester.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that it has coordinated with the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission to secure the necessary rights so that border wall contractors can clear the land for the border wall project.
The federal agency said in its statement that it “does not conduct any border wall construction activities on private property without the appropriate permissions or legal access.”
For now, this section of the border wall project looks to be moving forward.
One of the protesters was arrested after the interview. She was later released and confirmed she was charged with trespassing.
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