(NewsNation) — Communities near the U.S.-Mexico border are caught in the middle of one of the biggest issues in the 2024 election: immigration.
At the Del Rio, Texas, sector of the southern border, families say they are concerned about the number of migrants crossing the border.
Those living there say they see people running through yards and hiding through docks, all with the aim of evading law enforcement.
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One neighborhood in Eagle Pass has become a staging ground for law enforcement, as it is situated just below the Rio Grande. Migrants are crossing the hundreds daily there.
Neighbors recognize the problem but say in interviews that they don’t feel safe talking about it because they fear retaliation. One told NewsNation off-camera that he looked over his fence one day, and five men were actually leaning up against it, just waiting for law enforcement to leave.
Another woman was followed into her home by migrants. Her husband said she locked herself inside of her car in the garage until police arrived.
Gilberto Rodriguez has been living in a Texas border neighborhood since 1969. While he was initially hesitant to talk, Rodriguez said that, for the first time since coming there, he did not feel safe living in the area.
Right in the background of the neighborhood is a part of the border wall. While some individuals say it’s a bit of an eyesore, they also want to see extra reinforcements and law enforcement to deal with border issues.
The Biden administration initially halted progress on the wall on his first day in office: Pausing work on it was one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office. However, he later decided to greenlight construction on it in Starr County, Texas, and an open area of southern Arizona near Yuma.
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President Joe Biden explained that he did so because funds were already appropriated to build the wall in 2019 before he took office. Biden said he tried to get lawmakers to redirect the money, but Congress refused.
“The money was appropriated for the border wall,” Biden said at the time. “I can’t stop that.”
During the 2024 campaign season, Trump and Harris have both talked about plans to continue creating the wall.
Texas is making its own moves to build the border wall. On Tuesday, the state’s land commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, announced the Texas General Land Office acquired a 1,402-acre ranch in Starr County, as the property’s frontage on the Rio Grande makes it the “crucial location” for the barrier.
“Within 24 hours, we had the easement for the wall done,” Buckingham said. “We expect construction to start in four to six weeks.”
So far, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has built nearly 50 miles of wall in the Lone Star State. With the latest land acquisition, there’ll be another 1 1/2 miles.
When it comes to previous presidential administrations, Democratic former President Barack Obama built about 137 miles of border wall, Trump had about 452 miles, and Biden allowed for the construction of about 20 miles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.