President Joe Biden on day one of his presidency put an end to construction of former President Donald Trump’s border wall. But three months later, Biden’s government is still seizing private land for wall construction, even though no wall is being built.
This week, the federal government seized six acres of land from a family in Hidalgo County, Texas, after a federal judge confirmed the government’s right to take the land in an eminent domain case that began when Trump was president. The land belonged to Baudilia Cavazos and her family, who have been fighting in court since 2018 to stop the government from taking it.
“We are utterly devastated,” Baudilia Cavazos told Reason Magazine after the judge’s decision. “We thought President Joe Biden would protect us. Now we’ve lost our land. We don’t even know what comes next.”
President Trump constructed more than 400 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, at times using eminent domain authority to seize private land for wall construction. Eminent domain is a power that allows the government to acquire private property for public use.
President Trump’s administration wanted to use eminent domain to seize approximately seven acres of Cavazos land, constructing the wall in the middle of it and dividing it between the U.S. and Mexico sides. The family’s home would have been on the U.S. side of the border, but several rental properties they own would have been inaccessible on the Mexican side, which the family says would result in a major loss of income.
Though Biden paused construction of the wall pending a federal review of the legality of its funding, his administration never withdrew the case against the Cavazos family. Their case was one of nearly 140 eminent domain cases that remain active along the southern border, Politico reported.
On the campaign trail, Biden promised to end these eminent domain cases, telling NPR in August 2020, “End. Stop. Done. Over. Not going to do it. Withdraw the lawsuits. We’re out. We’re not going to confiscate the land.”
But so far, his administration hasn’t kept its promise. The Department of Justice told Politico that it is seeking to delay the pending eminent domain cases until Biden’s review of the wall project is completed.
The families that own the land, and progressive activists who believed Biden would enact a full reversal of Trump’s immigration and border policies, feel betrayed.
“Yesterday, we witnessed a betrayal of the Biden Administration’s commitment to end construction of the border wall,” Ricky Garza, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement. “In federal court, the President’s pause on border wall construction is meaningless without immediate action from the DOJ to dismiss these cases.”
Sooner or later concerned citizens in this country will understand how out of control the government is. The problem remains how will the madness be corrected. We really don’t need a wall. What we need is a vigilant system that identifies and eliminates those who are here illegally. We could start by deniying them any form of assistance other than leaving this country. If we don’t stop we will ultimately have nothing to give to anyone.
WAKE up America. BIDEN’S ringing the dinner bell for everyone who wants to be supported by the American taxpayers. no benefits. no free ANYTHING. STAY in central America, south America and Mexico. AMERICA FIRST.
Ohmigosh! His first lie! Now what?
The land was procured by “eminent domain.” It’s procurement does not violate the “Taking Clause” or the 5th Amendment.
I have NO sympathy for the Demokratz, who voted for Biden, in spite of the FACT that they were warned that the Progressives couldn’t be believed! Don’t complain. You’re getting what you deserve!
Don’t blame me. I voted for Trump!
Everyone called Trump everything from a tyrant to Hitler. Yet noe we have a true tyrannical government, locking themselves in justified by a fake riot, strip our freedoms, guns and all to ruin the country! Can’t wait to see how it’s written in the hsitory books though.
The wall is symbolic but tunnels and planes negate its value fining people who hire illegal aliens in a progressive rate would end the problem ,and help transport the aliens back to their homes starting at $1000 and doubling the fine for each violation would bring rapid results and could be accomplished with half our present border patrol and have the other half protect against traffickers and terrorist.
This IS NOT about seizing private land for a border wall. It IS ABOUT the Neo-fascist democrat party using Trump’s wall as an excuse to seize private land, well just because they can, and they hate the idea of land-owning private citizens who do not kneel at the Satanic democrat altar of government!