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Slideshow: On the border, wall plans welcomed by some, feared by others

In four border counties, people who live and work along the Rio Grande are greeting President Trump's plan for a new border wall with everything from trepidation to relief.

By Robin Jerstad and Julián Aguilar
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Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune

With more than 1,250 miles of shared border with Mexico, Texas has the most to lose — or gain — from the construction of the border wall that President Trump has promised. The Texas Tribune recently visited four border counties to ask people how they felt about border security and the possibility that their land could be seized for the wall project.

Maria Villarreal at her riverfront property in Val Verde County. Like some of her neighbors, Villarreal fears what President Trump's planned border wall means for her property.
Maria Villarreal at her riverfront property in Val Verde County. Like some of her neighbors, Villarreal fears what President Trump's planned border wall means for her property. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
A Border Patrol agent closes a gate at the Eagle Point development in Eagle Pass.
A Border Patrol agent closes a gate at the Eagle Point development in Eagle Pass. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
A pile of clothes near the river on Salvador Salinas's 500-acre ranch in Maverick County. Migrants often discard used clothing after making it to the north bank of the Rio Grande.
A pile of clothes near the river on Salvador Salinas's 500-acre ranch in Maverick County. Migrants often discard used clothing after making it to the north bank of the Rio Grande. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
The view from the tallest point in Salvador Salinas's 500-acre ranch in Maverick County. Salinas and others say the river is a natural barrier and a border wall isn't needed.
The view from the tallest point in Salvador Salinas's 500-acre ranch in Maverick County. Salinas and others say the river is a natural barrier and that a border wall isn't needed. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
Fishermen make their way toward the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Fishermen make their way toward the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
A soccer player on the Twin Cities FC team practices at a municipal park in Eagle Pass. Soccer players are concerned that a new wall could run through the city's only public soccer field.
A soccer player on the Twin Cities FC team practices at a municipal park in Eagle Pass. Soccer players are concerned that a new wall could run through the city's only public soccer field. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
An American flag flies over the international bridge at Eagle Pass, seen through the border fence.
An American flag flies over the international bridge at Eagle Pass, seen through the border fence. Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune

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Julián Aguilar’s staff photo

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