What People Who Live and Work on the Border Say About Trump's Proposal for a ‘big, Beautiful Wall'

The government shutdown marches into its 20th day Thursday, with the need — or lack thereof — for a physical wall along the nation's border with Mexico at the center of the impasse between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress.In 2017, reporters and photojournalists from The Dallas Morning News, KXAS-TV (NBC5) and Telemundo 39 created the Borderland Project to document the federal government's effort to construct a "physically imposing" and "aesthetically pleasing" wall. These journalists visited communities from Camp Ramsey, 130 miles west of El Paso, to Brownsville to talk to residents about the impact a wall would have on their daily lives.The team visited McAllen — where President Donald Trump intends to speak about the need for a border wall Thursday — to explore the cost of securing the state's southern border. They spoke with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers about the equipment they use to catch unauthorized immigrants: everything from Kevlar-outfitted boats to thousands of cameras monitoring illegal crossings.To read more and watch videos about what a wall means for those in border communities such as McAllen, Presidio and Laredo, visit the Borderland Project on dallasnews.com.  Continue reading...