brownsville texas rust-colored border security fence start dusty field loop family farm south texas 15 miles inland gulf mexico mile north southern u.s. border near brownsville stretch 60 miles west plenty gap drive walk exist fence always stop illegal immigrants take minute half climb wall say farmer ray loop note muddy footprints several section fence cross property porous south texas border fence authorize 2006 underscore topography treaty obligations legal fight high cost could frustrate efforts stretch impenetrable wall 2,000-mile border signature campaign promise u.s. president-elect donald trump south texas barrier hole fence say denise gilman law professor director immigration clinic university texas austin gap reflect local political opposition land right battle strategic decisions fence would cost-effective accord internal u.s. government email obtain gilman court order view reuters trump transition team spokesman jason miller decline comment challenge border wall construction say president-elect would plenty time discuss policy specifics take office january interview cbs 60 minutes last month trump say first time would accept fence areas border areas wall appropriate trump say good call construction could fence loop 51 trump supporter support strict immigration control little faith fence wall go work loop say pickup last month pass border patrol cars property place make sense logistically way texas california no rio grande valley south texas become focal point immigration enforcement main artery cross u.s. customs border protection say statement fence part integrate strategy include agents grind motion sensors cameras airborne monitor washington-based center immigration study support strong border security say trump look beyond propose wall comprehensive policy fence effective make life difficult attempt clandestinely cross southern border one-stop measure say jon feere legal policy analyst center secure fence act 2006 sign republican president george w. bush underestimate cost build plan 670 miles fence various place california texas time democratic president barack obama declare construction essentially complete 2011 allocate 2.4 billion pay fence half distance accord u.s. government account office report obama vote border fence construction u.s. senator democratic presidential nominee hillary clinton south texas original plan two layer reinforce fence 200 miles laredo brownsville scale gap-toothed single-layer barrier third length border terrain cause host land right issue add cost time construction 1,200 miles u.s.-mexico border texas along meander rio grande river make impossible build border wall actual border international boundary water commission set two countries 1889 prevent disruption flow rio grande effectively require wall build levees flood plain push south texas fence two miles north u.s. territory put property mexico-facing side kind man land require government compensate owners lose land value loop home almost farm u.s. territory mexico-facing side fence settle u.s. government eminent domain case term disclose another eminent domain case file u.s. government stretch seven years 140 court file eloisa tamez fight attempt put acres family land award grant king spain 1767 mexico-facing side wall government settle undisclosed sum agree construct several access point fence property another tell example economic loss fort brown memorial golf course brownsville also behind wall close 2015 lose business customers mistakenly believe leave u.s. play round trump would little trouble obtain land eminent domain build wall national security purpose legal experts say land owners may strong claim high compensation previous round construction establish concrete examples lose property value property right compensation case file bush years may carry trump term legal experts say trump wall construct could bring flood new court challenge say court dispute go delay build months years say efren olivares regional legal director south texas office nonprofit texas civil right project represent landowners border fence dispute local political economic concern also pose obstacles one large gap fence west brownsville near affluent area residents successfully fight construction government avoid areas high land value accord internal email u.s. customs border protection build fence area urban real estate cost high write jeffrey self customs border protection divisional bureau chief situational report march 2007. across southwest border apprehensions shoot recent months trump make border security central issue campaign year september u.s. authorities apprehend 408,870 immigrants try cross jump 23 percent year ago accord customs border protection data mccallen 55 miles west brownsville mayor jim darling say human traffickers drum business tell people cross trump wall go big immigration problem say darling hold nonpartisan office endorse republican texas governor greg abbott 2014 campaign current fence south texas extend west would likely end rio grande city mayor joel villarreal political independent see waste government money potential windfall mexican criminal cartels traffic immigrants mean take people across say interview people pay cut cartels porous texas border fence foreshadow challenge trump 's wall