IT BEGINS

Texans Get First Land Notices for Trump’s Border Wall

Told land will be seized whether they agree or not.

Texans who live in the path of President Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico have received the first letters, called a “Declaration of Taking,” from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. One of the notices, received by Yvette Salinas, offers her family $2,900 for 1.2 acres near the Rio Grande. Even if her family does not accept the federal government’s offer, their land can still be seized through eminent domain. “It’s scary when you read it,” Salinas said. “You feel like you have to sign.” Salinas said her family has owned the entirety of their 16-acre property for at least five generations. During President George W. Bush’s tenure, her family received a similar condemnation notice so that 110 miles of border fencing could be put on private land in Texas. They were never made to sell, and then Bush’s term ended.