Caneel

Writer mom in a gluten-free kitchen. Take photos. Drink coffee. Eat chocolate. Repeat. #MECFS 10+yrs. GenX. Politically homeless, bring integrity back again.

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

I extend the challenge to the current office holders, too. Sure would be nice to hear even a whisper of your feelings on this, @tedcruz @JohnCornyn @GregAbbott_TX. Show a backbone and come talk to the people this is impacting.

[Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland @SheriffThad]

I have a challenge for every Republican and Democrat running for office:

Come visit Sanderson.

We may be a town of fewer than 700 people, but we’re in the middle of a $2.6 billion federal project that taxpayers are paying for. If you’re going to campaign on border policy, infrastructure, or government spending, come see what those decisions look like on the ground.

I’ll provide the hospitality. Bring a bus, bring your staff, bring the media.

We’ll drive south from El Paso or north from Eagle Pass and talk with the people who actually live and work along the Rio Grande.

We’ll visit Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, Alpine, Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, Lajitas, Redford, Presidio, Sierra Blanca, and El Paso. We can float the river, take a 4x4, or even ride a wild horse or donkey if that’s what it takes.

I’m here in Sanderson, 54 miles into the 156-mile stretch of this project spanning from Brewster County to Val Verde County, right in the middle of decisions made by bureaucrats in Washington who will never have to live with the consequences.

Private landowners, local businesses, and rural communities are the ones who will bear the costs of these decisions. If you’re asking Texans to accept a multi-billion-dollar project in their backyard, then come see it firsthand and hear directly from the people who call this place home.

And if Washington has $2.6 billion to spend, maybe Texans would rather see those dollars invested in things we actually need: reliable water infrastructure, a stronger electric grid, and help addressing the New World screwworm threat.

The invitation is open to every candidate, regardless of party. Come spend a day with us. Meet the people. See the land. Ask questions. Then decide for yourself.

Rural Texans deserve to be part of the conversation, not an afterthought.

Come see it for yourself.

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

@Sarah4Texas Yep. Filled up for $4.19/gallon regular unleaded in another West Texas town yesterday. It was $3.99 in El Paso last night, and currently 10 cents cheaper in a rural New Mexico town today.

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

“Not a single Republican elected official or member of Republican leadership has come to Sanderson or the Big Bend to hear from the people who will be impacted. I believe too many are unwilling to publicly question this plan.”

[Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland @SheriffThad]

This was not a political endorsement. I appreciate anyone who is willing to come to Sanderson, Texas, listen to the people who actually live here, and see the situation firsthand. I don’t care what political party they are affiliated with, I’ll have a conversation.

James Talarico took the time to meet with local people who will be directly affected by the proposed 91 miles of four-foot vehicle barrier in the Sanderson Border Patrol Station area of responsibility. Along this stretch of the Rio Grande, there isn’t a place where someone can drive a vehicle across the river, yet this project is expected to cost nearly $2.6 billion.

Not a single Republican elected official or member of Republican leadership has come to Sanderson or the Big Bend to hear from the people who will be impacted. I believe too many are unwilling to publicly question this plan.

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

Perfect word for it.

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

Republican Terrell County Sheriff shares a video of where the Trump admin is planning 150+ miles of border vehicle barriers in the Big Bend area - says "I support Border [Security] 100%, but this isn’t Border Security, it’s a boondoggle." https://t.co/Gutmpoy2rI

[Joel Montfort @jmontforttx]

Truly a travesty. This is no different than if they ran a fence right up the middle of Yellowstone.

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

Good on @nytimes for covering this - the potential dark skies impacts of the border wall aren't getting talked about much - but it's no small concern: https://t.co/bbu6nA1lkU

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

@sammiecarrots @TexasObserver You did a great job here. Baffling is definitely a good word for all this.

[Sam Karas @sammiecarrots]

Been so stoked to see bigger outlets pick up the Big Bend wall story –– less stoked to see misunderstandings about our region & the project drown out on-the-ground the reporting. Grateful to the @TexasObserver, as always, for giving the underdog a voice https://t.co/1bPkXUgKWc

[Laiken Jordahl @LaikenJordahl]

DHS wants to spend $4.3 billion to blast roads into inaccessible canyons and build "vehicle barriers" where no vehicles cross the border.

Contractors will make out like bandits while destroying Texas' most beloved national park. This corrupt plan is rotten to the core.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

In sum: this is a needlessly destructive border-security project that may make the border less secure, that no local wants, and that attempts to solve a non-existent problem. At $16.7 million a mile, I can think of one company that must be happy about it.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Meanwhile, CBP has been telling landowners that they might be willing to move the paved patrol roads and vehicle barrier along US 90. This would be less destructive but would also underscore the pointlessness of the project. E.g. There's already a patrol road along US 90.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Moreover, Fisher Sand & Gravel—the MAGA-connected contractor—has been telling landowners it plans to cut paved roads into the vertical cliff so Border Patrol can get down to the river. Landowners have pointed out that this could make it *easier* for migrants to cross.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Few migrant cross in his remote, harsh area and it's hard to see how a 30-foot wall would stop people who just crawled out of a canyon 10x higher in places. But you could maybe squint and see the wall as a deterrent. A vehicle barrier? A complete joke and waste of billions.

[Forrest Wilder @Forrest4Trees]

Instead of a wall, the Trump admin plans to spend $2.6 billion on a vehicle barrier across the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande in West Texas. The only problem? It's impossible for vehicles to drive across 100-to-300 foot cliffs and a mud-choked river.

https://t.co/unkmCj04T3

[Laiken Jordahl @LaikenJordahl]

The Big Bend construction plan is genuinely insane. DHS will spend $4.3 billion tax dollars to build NEW access roads into inaccessible canyons that currently see almost no border crossings. Politically connected contractors will get rich while making smuggling easier.

[Caneel @MamaMeGF]

Hey @PilotFlyingJ why aren’t you warning people at the pump that they will be charged $226 in an additional temporary pre-authorization fee if they pay at pump, or they can avoid it by paying inside? It takes about a week to drop off charges after the initial gas charge clears.

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

From @TexasMonthly: "A border wall might, in theory, keep some of the small number who do cross there from entering Texas. But a vehicle barrier makes no sense for the simple reason that vehicles do not and cannot cross an impassable river gorge." https://t.co/dIL5GCiFMh

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

A recent lawsuit said the Trump administration violated a federal law as part of its Big Bend area border wall plan. The admin responded by waiving that law so it doesn't have to follow it.

Story from @mkcant and @MarfaRadio: https://t.co/kxPJpBthCD

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

2 weeks ago the Trump admin got sued under a federal law called the Rivers and Harbors Act over its Big Bend area border wall plan.

Today - the admin waived that law - so it won't have to follow it.

Spotted by @mkcant here at @MarfaRadio: https://t.co/dQhoIw9Nzz

[Travis Bubenik @travisbubenik]

Big Bend area sheriff’s continue to speak out against border wall/other barrier plans - these 2 are a Republican and Democrat: https://t.co/EeRFeBZpEZ

Construction on the 30’ steel wall is set to start in about a couple weeks.