The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed Laredo that, as part of its plan to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall – it will build parts of the wall within city limits. The federal government has been working toward completing the border wall along the southern border since President Trump’s first term.
The government’s new concept includes building a “smart wall” along 230 miles of the border, integrating new technologies and measures such as steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras and detection technology.
To date, DHS has awarded $4.5 billion in contracts for construction. No contracts have been awarded for the Laredo portion of the project yet.
However, as part of the updated vision, DHS will build portions of the wall through Laredo, a decision that was only recently made apparent to the city. The Laredo City Council will review the wall blueprints during its Nov. 14 City Council meeting.
The city has had a mixed response to the prospect of building the wall, particularly with the redesigned footprint crossing Laredo boundaries. City officials have been in contact with the federal government since first receiving information about the updated design to ensure that it will be built safely and won’t impact the city’s appearance.
Among the major concerns levied, the Laredo City Council is working to ensure that the wall will not be a blight on the city’s skyline. City leaders are optimistic that the final product will be aesthetically pleasing and of a different architectural design than most of the 230-mile wall.
In addition, officials are concerned that the wall’s construction will negatively impact the Rio Grande – Laredo’s only source of water. Talks to address these concerns are ongoing.
The city council will publish a poll to gather community impact on the project from the public. No information has been released as to when the poll will be released.
Photo by Dugan Meyer, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, from Wikimedia Commons
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