Agency finds private border wall violates Rio Grande treaty
Source: Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS | Wednesday, May 6, 2020 5:46 p.m.
19 minutes ago
HOUSTON — A construction firm promoted by President Donald Trump to build his signature border wall violated American treaty obligations with a private border fence next to the river separating Texas and Mexico, a U.S. agency has found.
The International Boundary and Water Commission found that Fisher Industries’ 3-mile (4.8 kilometer) fence of steel posts just 35 feet (10 meters) from the Rio Grande could worsen flooding and called on the company to make changes to the project. The IBWC released a copy of its letter to Fisher Industries on Wednesday.
Built on private land in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the project was originally promoted as an online fundraiser started by Trump supporters, We Build the Wall, that raised more than $20 million.
It instead became a showcase for the North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, whose president, Tommy Fisher, has pitched the company on Fox News and other conservative media. U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, has also spoken to Trump about Fisher Industries, the president said on Fox News last year.
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The commission did not call on Fisher Industries to take down the fence. Instead, it asked the company to install gates, realign the fence, or consider other ways to mitigate potential flooding.
