The Department of Homeland Security terminated two border wall contracts today, totaling 31 river miles through Laredo proper from El Pico Rd. to the southern tip of Webb County.
The contracts worth $564 million — more than $18 million per mile — would have destroyed the newly established city landmarks of Las Palmas Nature Trail and Riverbend, parts of Laredo College, the downtown Tres Laredos Park, Father McNaboe Park, España Park, Sacred Heart Children’s Home, small businesses, private homes, family ranches, and many other iconic river sites.
“Our community accomplished the impossible and stopped what many claimed was ‘a done deal’,” attorney and No Border Wall Coalition co-founder Carlos E. Flores said. “We are the first community to stop the wall.”
In a Friday press release, the federal government concluded that these two Laredo contracts were “not necessary to address any life, safety, environmental or other remediation requirements as described in the DHS Border Wall Plan.”
This significant announcement directly contradicts the “disaster” narrative that Texas governor Greg Abbott is using against Laredo and other border communities to launch his re-election campaign, and which Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina recently joined for possible state taxpayer dollars to fill county coffers.
“Judge Tijerina’s short-sighted decision-making is unacceptable,” Flores commented, adding that the negative branding of Laredo harms future economic investment and is not our lived reality.
“The ‘”disaster” narrative is a fantasy, and clearly refuted by the facts,” educator Dr. Sylvia Dominguez explained. “We are a thriving community, with huge economic significance, that is safer than most other cities in America. Unfortunately, we have a tiny group of local leaders who support the political agenda from Austin that is out of sync with our community.”
Raul E. García, an attorney with Earthjustice which is representing the Rio Grande International Study Center and other clients in an ongoing border wall lawsuit against the federal government, weighed in.
“By terminating these first contracts, the Biden administration rightfully acted based on facts,” García said. “The victory is a testament to the tireless work of the Laredo community which rejected this costly wall expansion and the idea that Laredo is a city with a border crisis.”
Melissa R. Cigarroa, riverfront landowner and Coalition co-founder, emphasized the significance of today’s victory.
“The struggle over these past 2.5 years, while challenging, made us stronger,” Cigarroa said. “It revealed the strength of our community and our commitment to a future that we absolutely deserve that is free of racism and denigration, and that prioritizes the protection of our only water source, the Rio Grande, which is the lifeblood of our community.”
Tricia Cortez, RGISC executive director and Coalition co-founder, agreed.
“They underestimated Laredo,” Cortez said. “This David v. Goliath battle ignited a formidable movement made up of people from all walks of life and diverse political views. The people of Laredo stood their ground and we won. The cancellation of these two contracts is a huge nail in the coffin for this entire misguided project.”
Coalition members still demand the cancellation of the last two Laredo Sector contracts, totaling $484 million to destroy an additional 40 river miles that extend from the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge to El Pico Rd, as well as the entire northern reach of Zapata County that includes historic San Ygnacio.
“We continue to monitor and trust that the Biden administration will cancel all other contracts in the Laredo area and across the entire southern border,” said Maxine Rebeles, a U.S. Navy veteran and co-founder of Veterans United to Stop the Wall.
“These places may mean nothing to politicians in DC or Austin, but they are our lands, our culture, and our birthright,” Rebeles said. “We said ‘come and take it’ and defeated them when they tried. We had a message for these politicians: ‘Don’t mess with South Texas!’ and now we’ve shown them why.”
(The #NoBorderWall Laredo Coalition is a network of residents, elected officials, & organizations who oppose the border wall.
Website: facebook.com/NoBorderWallCoalition | Insta: @noborderwall_ltx )
Kudos for the young defenders of freedom. An actual physical wall would not only be an environmental menace and monument to weakminded racist nationalism, but a slap in the face to our community and a diplomatic embarrassment. Surely there are other less reactionary ways to settle the immigration situation. It’s a matter of jointly using our brains instead of instilling fear in the hearts of our border denizens.
I don’t live in Laredo anymore but I have to support my old friends against the border wall bamboozle. I am happy progress has been made eliminating proposed sections of the fence in Laredo but don’t let your guard down. Governor Abbott will continue to push for his politically motivated border wall construction.