County officials and Border Patrol: ‘No one told us.’
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Heavy road equipment rolled on to Chispa Road northwest of Marfa on Tuesday with the goal of improving the road for contractors working on the border wall project—infuriating Jeff Davis and Presidio county officials who were not given notice of the project on their county roads, according to officials who were actively gathering information on the construction on Wednesday.
“I’ve got a problem with it. I’m not happy with it,” said Jeff Davis County Judge Curtis Evans. The judge said, for starters, he was going to meet with the contractors today to get their explanation, check with legal counsel, then see what next steps need to be taken.
The equipment can be seen in an Instagram video post by Yolanda Alvarado, whose family owns a ranch on the river that’s accessed by Chispa Road. Pictured are bulldozers and large excavation and road-grading equipment. The location is south of Highway 90 on FM 2017—about 17 miles west of Valentine—after pavement ends, where a dirt road begins that eventually winds its way down to two Presidio County roads near Candelaria on the border.
Lisa Morton, a general manager at the Van Horn Advocate newspaper, also was at the scene to take photos and videos. In a conversation with contractors, she was told they intended to work on a mile a day and make it a road acceptable for 50 mph speed limits.
“I’ve talked with the Border Patrol, and they were unaware of anything that was happening,” said Presidio County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler. The commissioner said she knows a subcontractor involved with the project and will be inquiring how it was possible that the Border Patrol was never notified, nor were any county officials responsible for governing county roads.
“My deal is no. You come to the Presidio County Commissioners Court, and you make a presentation and tell us what you’re doing,” Hisler said. In the meantime, I have [County Commissioner] Susan Hays researching whether they can legally do that on the county road.”
Presidio County Attorney Blair Park is also looking into the legality, but could not be immediately reached for comment. Hayes, an attorney, said her initial look at the law tells her the contractors can’t work on county roads without permission, but she said she will be looking into the fine details of the law today to make sure the county’s position is iron clad. County Judge Joe Portillo said he will await word from the attorneys before deciding what to do next.
The Border Patrol did not immediately return a request for comment.
