In this guide, we will cover Feds start land seizures along the Texas border to clear path for new wall. President Donald J. Trump pledged to build a border wall along the Southern Border in his 2016 election campaign and has honored that pledge once elected. When Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020 election, the Democrats halted the construction of the border wall. The Democrats has dismantled the border wall that was started by Trump. John Strange, a senior mortgage loan originator says the following about how the Feds start land seizures along the Texas border:
Over ten million illegal migrants cross the Texas border. Democrats are doing everything possible to obstruct the President with his plans.
Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and majority of Democrats all agreed to fund a border security wall prior to Donald Trump becoming President of the United States. Since Donald Trump became President in 2016, Democrats did everything possible to give President Trump a hard time in honoring his pledge on funding the Wall. The government even had to shut down 30 days due to the border wall budget controversy. Or the government can remain open and the President can issue a national emergency and invoke Presidential Executive Privilege. Well, folks, Donald J. Trump is back and the border wall along the Texas border has continued at lighting speed. In the following paragraphs, we will cover how the Feds start land seizures along the Texas border to build border wall for the Southern border.
Feds Start Land Seizures Along Texas Border To Prepare To Build Wall
Feds Start Land Seizures months ago after President Donald Trump got sworn in for his second term. The Trump Administration are continuing with negotiation talks with Texas homeowners to purchase their property through eminent domain. Mike Gracz, a senior mortgage loan originator at Gustan Cho Associates says the following about Feds start land seizures in Texas:
According to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, he told a group that he was told that the Feds announced they have the initial funding and authorization for the Feds start land seizures. Cuellar is a Laredo Democrat who was at a border security meeting in McAllen Texas. Those attending were local, county, and state government officials who their citizens will be affected with the installation of the Texas-Mexico Border Security Wall.
$1.6 billion dollars was approved already for 65 miles of border security walls in the Valley. This amount is just a partial amount needed but at least it is a start. As the fight for border security funding and family separations continue with Republicans and Democrats, U.S. Customs And Border Protection announced in moving forward with land acquisition. Feds Start Land Seizures in the Rio Grande Valley and surrounding areas. They plan on building sections after sections of border walls.
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Feds Start Land Seizures Along Texas Border to Clear Path For New Wall
In a surprising and heated step, federal agents have started taking private land along the Texas border so work on the new border wall can begin. People on both sides of the issue agree this action is a Turning Point in President Donald Trump’s push to make the U.S.-Mexico border more secure. The first properties targeted are mostly in the Rio Grande Valley, long known as a high-traffic area for migrants and smugglers.
Why Now? Background On How Feds Start Land Seizures- The Wall and Its Politics
Money for the wall has split Congress ever since Trump’s election and does not look likely to change soon. In 2016, powerful Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer said some barriers made sense. That view vanished when Trump took office, leading to long delays, angry protests, and a partial government shutdown that lasted weeks in early 2019. Arnat Patel, a mortgage loan originator at Gustan Cho Associates said the following:
Representative Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Appropriations Committee on Homeland Security. Representative Cuellar said properties will be seized in order to start building the sections of the wall that has been approved funding.
Even with pushback from both sides of the aisle, Trump argues that a sturdier southern border is non-negotiable for the nation’s safety. To move past the stall, federal agents have started taking land in Texas, and letters are already showing up in mailboxes telling homeowners their property is next in line.
Feds Start Land Seizures Along Border and The Impact on Texas Homeowners: Eminent Domain in Action
Eminent domain lets the government take private land if the project serves the public good, promising fair payment to the owner. Here, that power is being used so crews have enough room to build new wall sections along the Texas border with Mexico.
Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency in charge, sits down with individual landholders, hoping they will agree to sell rather than face a long court battle. Much of the focus is on the Rio Grande Valley because its location makes it ground zero for the first stretch of wall.
Feds Start Land Seizures – What are the Current Plans
Since the plan was first made public, hundreds of property owners in Hidalgo County, Texas, have received notifications. To date, 167 letters have gone out, and officials expect around 300 lots, including homes and businesses, will eventually be affected. Each notice tells owners the government wants to buy their land, yet the exact list of addresses and how the process will roll out is still unclear. Marga Jurilla, the executive assistant of Gustan Cho says the following about the Feds start land seizures and how homeowners come out with the proceeds:
Others are in court over the fair market value of their seized land. Eminent domain opens up another controversy among politicians, homeowners, and the courts.
Federal agencies are already putting compensation offers on the table, but that is only the start of the story. If a homeowner feels the payout is too low and decides to fight back, the matter can end up in court, dragging negotiations out for years. Even without a legal challenge, the government can use eminent domain under a fast-track rule that dates back to the Great Depression, allowing major public projects to move ahead quickly.
How Long Will the Feds Start Land Seizures Take?
Traditionally, eminent domain cases stretch out for a long time. After an initial appraisal and any appeals, a final value may not be set for many months or even years. The George W. Bush administration, for example, still has active cases linked to earlier border wall plans, showing that even new owners were not spared years of uncertainty.
It is a Great Depression Era federal law that states the government can seize land to build the border security. Homeowners can be compensated after acquisition and seizure of their properties. This law was applied in the past where homeowners got their properties seized. To this date, these landowners did not get paid.
A law from the 1930s gives the federal government a quick way to take land it needs for defense and security projects, but that speed has sometimes led to trouble. Some homeowners never get the promised fair compensation, and a few are still fighting to be paid what their property is worth years later.
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Texas Homeowners Affected by Feds Start Land Seizures
In Hidalgo County, crews have already begun marking parcels for the border wall, and other work is set to follow soon. Yet the government has released only a trickle of information, leaving many owners in Starr, Cameron, and Willacy counties nervous and in the dark about what happens next. Some plead for clear answers while others gather documents, hoping to protect their homes from unwanted seizure and receive a fair payout if loss is unavoidable. Dustin Dumestre, an associate contributing editor at Gustan Cho Associates says the following about how the Feds start land seizures:
167 notifications have been sent out to homeowners in Hidalgo County Texas. Approximately 300 estimated homes are expected to be impacted. Residents are being told in the areas that the border wall is being impacted and their surrounding communities. Not too much information is being released. Only to homeowners that are affected by the partial building of border walls.
The federal government is already taking land in several Texas communities, and lawmakers warn the process is just getting started. Rep. Henry Cuellar says planning for the border wall moves in stages, so more properties will probably be seized as building crews move forward. The Biden administration has cleared the first money and green light to buy land. A $1.6 billion pot is meant to pay for roughly 65 miles of new fence. Yet, billions more will be needed before the entire project is finished.
Compensation for Seized Land: What Homeowners Can Expect
When a property is taken through eminent domain, the law says homeowners must be paid. Still, figuring out a fair market price can drag on in the courts for months or even years. In some cases, people walk away empty-handed or get caught in a long legal fight just to secure what they are owed. Dale Elenteny, a senior mortgage loan originator at Gustan Cho Associates says the following about the Feds start land seizures of homeowners along the Texas border:
Feds Start Land Seizures along the Texas border already to prepare for the Wall. Feds Start Land Seizures started months ago. Many Texas homeowners can be impacted. They may lose their homes through eminent domain.
Over the past two decades, the federal government has claimed more than 120 miles of border land at a total cost of about $18.2 million. Families who lose their land are also eligible for relocation assistance, money meant to cover moving expenses to a new home. Unfortunately, these relocation funds are often far below the actual costs, leaving many people struggling after losing their property.
The Controversy Around Eminent Domain
Eminent domain has generated headlines and dinner-table talk because it lets the government take private land in the name of the public good. Agencies can use this power to build highways, schools, and, yes, even a border wall. Still, people who live near the edge of Texas, and many advocates, say the process hits low-income and minority families the hardest.
There are still pending eminent domain cases from over a decade away when President George W. Bush Administration invoked eminent domain to build walls. There is a loophole in our federal laws that our government can invoke eminent domain where it expedites the process.
As lawsuits pile up and talks stretch on between federal lawyers and local homeowners, observers will want to keep a close eye on the situation. What courts decide—or what negotiators agree to—could set the rules for border security projects and everyday American landowners for years.
How the Feds Start Land Seizures Will Shape Bigger Border-Wall Plans
The government’s first steps to claim land along the Rio Grande are only the opening act in a much bigger show. If the wall moves forward, dozens or even hundreds of other properties may undergo the same twist of appraisals, court filings, and surprise easements. Additional information could help future borrowers protect their homes or, at the very least, prepare for the legal road ahead. Dale Elenteny, a senior loan officer at Gustan Cho Associates says the following about the Feds start land seizures in Texas:
In general, land seizures by the federal government take time. It is not done and finalized in a matter of days and/or weeks. It may take years if uncooperative homeowners decide to sue the government
If the government is taking your land for the border wall, Gustan Cho Associates is ready to step in. Our Texas-licensed team knows how to turn the pain of a seizure into a fresh start. We offer loans that pay for a new house, refinance your current mortgage, and even cover moving expenses.
Reach Out and Breathe a Little Easier
You deserve answers and a solid plan, and that’s why we’re here. Homeowners along the proposed route can still secure funding before a formal notice arrives. The property the federal government seized in the past was more than 120 miles of the valley at a cost of $18.2 million. Angie Torres, the national director of operations at Gustan Cho Associates says the following about the Feds start land seizures:
Texas homeowners who get their land seized, the government needs to pay for relocation expenses. Gustan Cho Associates is a national lender with no overlays on government and conventional loans.
We are licensed in Texas and dozens of other states. Homeowners impacted by land seizure can contact us at 800-900-8569 or text us for faster response. We can help homeowners get qualified and approved on home loans can close in two weeks or less. Or email us at alex@gustancho.com. Stay tuned for more information on the impact of border security and its impact on Texas homeowners and home buyers. We will post fresh updates about the wall and your property rights in the coming days. Until then, lean on our support network so you never feel alone.
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