President Trump's promised border wall — the $18 billion one with the "big beautiful door" and the holes in it so Americans aren't crushed by large bales of drugs tossed over the top — would be built on a lot of privately owned land should it ever, in fact, be built. About 1,400 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border remain without a continuous barrier, and much of this land would have to be confiscated via eminent domain for construction to proceed.
Trump himself is a known eminent domain enthusiast, which makes all the more noteworthy the report from Tommy Fisher, owner of one of four contracting companies selected to construct a wall prototype, that the White House has yet to address how eminent domain issues would be handled on this project.
"I believe we can construct a fairly soft footprint that stays within 60 feet of the current border that sits there today," Fisher said to the Washington Examiner, but still, the administration would have to "get us access and clearance."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Washington may be able to overcome robust property protections in states like Texas by citing national security arguments, many property owners are likely to put up a serious fight. A December study of eminent domain use for previous border wall construction by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found the Department of Homeland Security "issued low-ball offers," particularly to low-income families who could not afford a legal battle, while bungling condemnation orders and attempting to purchase land from people who did not own it.
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodleUnder the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to ChinaSpeed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with DisneySpeed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B dealSpeed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance mergerSpeed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profitsSpeed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new highSpeed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
