President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, which would have a significant impact on Texas.
"Beginning today the United States of America gets back control of its borders," Trump declared during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security. "We are going to save lives on both sides of the border."
Trump cast his actions as fulfillment of a campaign pledge.
Funding for the border wall project is murky. While Trump has repeatedly promised that Mexico will pay for it, U.S. taxpayers are expected to cover the initial costs and the new administration has said nothing about how it will compel Mexico to reimburse the money. One of the executive actions Trump signed Wednesday appears to signal that he could restrict aid to Mexico.
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In an interview with ABC News earlier Wednesday, Trump said, "There will be a payment; it will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form."
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has insisted his country will not pay for a wall, is expected to meet with Trump at the White House next week, despite calls from some lawmakers for him to cancel his visit.
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Pena Nieto said late Wednesday said he regrets and rejects the U.S. decision, and repeated that Mexico would not pay for the wall despite Trump's avowals that it would.
"Mexico does not believe in walls," he said. "I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall."
Trump has insisted many times the border structure will be a wall. The order he signed referred to "a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous and impassable physical barrier."
Texas Republican Congressman Will Hurd, whose 23rd District includes more of the U.S.-Mexico border than any other, says the Trump plan for a border wall is not doable.
"Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border," Hurd said in a statement released Wednesday.
The entire U.S.-Mexico border spans nearly 2,000 miles from Brownsville to San Diego.
About 1,200 of those miles are in Texas, and right now only about 100 miles of Texas border is fenced.
So that means 1,100 miles of Trump's wall would be along the Texas border, where a significant amount of that land is privately owned.
The stretch also includes Big Bend National Park, where Gov. Greg Abbott has previously said he would oppose having any border wall.
Congressman Hurd's complete statement follows:
“The facts have not changed. Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border. Each section of the border faces unique geographical, cultural, and technological challenges that would be best addressed with a flexible, sector-by-sector approach that empowers the agents on the ground with the resources they need. A wall may be an effective tool in densely populated areas, but a variety of tools are needed between Brownsville, Texas and San Diego, California. The 23rd District of Texas, which I represent, has over 800 miles of the border, more than any other Member of Congress, and it is impossible to build a physical wall in much of its terrain. Big Bend National Park and many areas in my district are perfect examples of where a wall is unnecessary and would negatively impact the environment, private property rights, and economy. There is no question that we must secure our border, but we need an intelligence-led approach in order to effectively combat the 19 criminal organizations currently operating in Mexico.”
