Texas Governor Launches Texas Border Wall Construction With Donations, $250 Million Down Payment
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that Texas would build its own border wall with a $250 million down payment from Texas' Department of Criminal Justice to begin. “Building the wall in Texas has officially begun,” Abbott said during the press conference, saying construction was going on “as we speak.” Abbott said the wall will be partly funded by donations, and would be built on a combination of "volunteer land", or privately donated property, and state land. Abbott also encouraged people to donate to a website to help fund the border wall. This comes after President Joe Biden halted the southern border wall construction shortly after he took office; more than 450 miles of wall, including in Texas, had been built under the Trump administration. On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump said he “accepted the invitation” from Abbott to tour Texas' border wall on June 30. Last month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 180,000 encounters with migrants along the southern border.
The story received coverage from across the spectrum. Coverage from the right and center tended to focus on the details of Abbott's plan and the history of border wall construction in recent years. Some outlets on the left tended to highlight comments from advocacy groups calling the border wall "immoral" and criticizing Abbott for asking for donations and focusing on the border wall instead of helping Texans recover from the winter storms earlier this year.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Greg Abbott Launches Website to Fund Border Wall, Demands Biden 'Return Texas to Texas'During a press conference on Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott detailed his plan for building a wall on the border the state shares with Mexico. He also tore in President Joe Biden's handling of the influx of migrants coming into the country and demanded the president "return Texas land to Texas."
The Republican governor also announced that Texas is funding a $250 million down payment to help pay for a border wall. "It's more than enough to hire a project manager and contractor to begin building the wall. We are committed to adding more resources...
From the Left
Texas Says It Will Build the Wall, and Asks Online Donors to Pay for ItWhen Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas announced last week a vague ambition to pick up where former President Donald J. Trump left off and complete the construction of a multibillion-dollar wall along the border with Mexico, many in the state were puzzled. A wall is costly and, in Texas, would require cutting a swath across private ranches, difficult terrain and some urban areas.
On Wednesday, Mr. Abbott revealed how he would pay for it: Donations.
Flanked by lawmakers at the State Capitol, Mr. Abbott, a staunch Republican who has found...
From the Right
Abbott launches Texas border wall project with $250 million 'down payment'Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday formally announced that Texas will build its own border wall, as he accused the Biden administration of abandoning its responsibility to protect the southern U.S. border.
"Today we are announcing that Texas will build a border wall in our state to help secure our border," Abbott said at a press conference.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday formally announced that Texas will build its own border wall, as he accused the Biden administration of abandoning its responsibility to protect the southern U.S. border.
"Today we are...
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