State of Texas Makes Deal to Build Border Fence on Tribal Lands

EAGLE PASS, Texas — A new section of border fence is expected to go up locally as the result of a partnership between the State and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. The new section, constructed by the Texas Military Department, will be located south of Eagle Pass on tribal lands.

On Tuesday, officials with the Texas Military Department and the Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol met with members of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe to discuss the border fence project. The exact scope of the project was not revealed. A Texas Department of Public Safety official says the project is part of Operation Lone Star.

“The border crisis has impacted the tribal reservation significantly. The tribal council has for the first time allowed a government to construct security fencing on the reservation,” Captain Joel Betancourt said.

The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe’s reservation is located eight miles south of Eagle Pass. The reservation is located on the banks of the Rio Grande. There, the tribe operates the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino. The tribe also operates a pecan orchard and owns ranches in Texas and Mexico.

According to a source with the Border Patrol in the area, the tribe has always been a strong proponent of border security. The source says the tribe has allowed Border Patrol to place surveillance equipment and offer security assistance on their lands.

The source says the tribe is sympathetic to the economic plight of migrants crossing in the area but also recognizes the need for security to safeguard residents living on the reservation. In 2001, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas allowed the installation of two remote surveillance towers to monitor what was then one of the busiest border crossing points for narcotics and migrants in the area.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, Governor Greg Abbott ordered the construction of more than two miles of border wall in Eagle Pass. Operation Lone Star has moved 10,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of Highway Patrol Troopers as well.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.

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