Trump administration asking Texans to survey land for border wall, reports say

Landowners in southern Texas have reportedly been receiving notices from the federal government requesting that their property be surveyed for possible border wall construction, according to San Antonio’s KENS 5 News.

Hundreds of residents in Starr and Hidalgo counties have received letters in recent months, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told the outlet.

Noel Escobar, mayor of the town of Escobares, told the news outlet that he received letters from the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection a few weeks ago requesting consent to survey land.

“I walk out the back door and what I’m going to see is a 30-foot fence,” he said.

The Rio Grande City School District also received similar letters about property that’s under consideration for “tactical infrastructure, such as a border wall.” The board approved CBP’s survey request last week, The Associated Press reported.

Felix Rodriguez, a resident of Starr county town Roma, said he was offered $300 for a portion of his 500-square-foot property that he deems is worth at least five times that amount.

“There’s no use for me to sell the land if I’m not going to get much from it,” he said.

President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been trying to get additional funding approved for the long-touted wall, so far without success. Construction of the wall began in the San Diego area in March when a longstanding barrier was replaced.

• This article originally appeared on HuffPost.