![Border wall along Sonora Desert, 2009. / [Image by Wonderlane via Flickr, CC BY 2.0]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/7/18/660x290/b_502x220x82/border-wall-along-sonora-desert-2009-image-by-wonderlane-via-flickr-cc-by-20_1459161.jpg "Border wall along Sonora Desert, 2009. / [Image by Wonderlane via Flickr, CC BY 2.0]")
With much of Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda stalled in Congress, many have been able to breathe a sign of relief to learn that one of those agendas was his border wall along the Mexican-American border. It was reported that the budget to build that wall did not get the green-light in Congress and that those supporting the effort would try again in September for another omnibus spending bill. But according to government officials who requested to remain anonymous; a wall that has been in the planning stages for months is already begging to be built in the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in South Texas.
Border wall prepared in secret
The Texas Observer originally reported the story and verified with a second government official that construction for the 18-foot levee wall would begin in January 18, likely in time for the spending bill for 2018 to go into effect. Their article titled: "trump administration preparing Texas wildlife refuge for first border wall segment," said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and private contractors had been secretly planning to prepare the wall for six months. This would mean that the preparations for the border wall practically started from Donald Trump's inauguration.
At the time, there were reports that President Trump and Mexico's President Pena Nieto had a major disagreement over the wall which Trump vowed to make Mexico pay for.
Pena Nieto said at the time that they would never pay for the wall before Trump said they would no longer go public about their discussions. Certainly, from the public perspective there is no indication that the administration has made any effort to move forward with construction. It was also reported that at least in California, lawmakers vowed to go after companies that made any attempt to construct a wall or even by association.
'Trumpublican' state leads the way for border wall construction
Being a conservative-led state, Texas governor Greg Abbott has been among the first to fast-track President Trump's anti-immigrant agenda against "sanctuary cities". Given this fact, it makes sense that a border wall would begin in Texas. The Texas Observer article said that the border wall will stretch for almost three miles through the refuge and have a concrete base that would act as a levee.
The fence would be made of steel bollards and look a lot like a levee wall built in Hidalgo, Texas. One of the officials who told the Texas Observer about the plans agreed that the information should be made public and not have been planned in secret, saying that it was clear that the administration were trying to avoid any backlash. They also added that the public had the right to know.
