In fighting the Trump Administration’s land grab for the purpose of building the border wall, Texas Democrats are calling for Texas Republicans to show some consistency. For example, Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso in the House, notes that Texas Senator John Cornyn supported a recent bill that protect property rights of land owners…
To build his beloved wall, President Trump has declared a national emergency, thereby allowing him to bypass Congress to fund construction of a barrier on the southern border of the country. But construction of the wall is bypassing more than Congressional approval. It is kicking property rights into the gutter. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant…
President Trump has threatened to use the “military version” of eminent domain to seize the land required to build his border wall. Apparently, federal law allows for military department secretaries to “acquire any interest in land” if “the acquisition is needed in the interest of national defense.” More than 1,100 property owners in Texas are…
President Trump has argued that his proposed border wall is necessary to protect the nation’s security. Sadly, the wall presents a much graver risk to the security of Americans than the immigrants the wall will allegedly stop. The federal government has been using eminent domain to acquire the land needed to build the wall. The…
A new organization, Defend Texas, is pointing out the hypocrisy of some Texas politicians who proclaim support for property rights. As we have previously pointed out, Texas politicians were vehemently opposed to the use of eminent domain along the Red River, but have supported (or remained silent) seizing private property along the Rio Grande. Defend…
It is said that politics sometimes makes strange bedfellows. Politicians who seem to oppose one another on virtually every issue can occasionally agree on one particular issue. In this instance, the bedfellows aren’t two opposing politicians, but two politicians and property rights. Democratic representatives Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Beto O’Rourke of Texas recently announced…
If someone came onto your property without your permission or knowledge and began tearing out your landscaping, you would probably be upset. And rightfully so. On July 20, workers entered the privately owned National Butterfly Center in South Texas and began removing trees and vegetation that had been planted to attract butterflies. The workers were…