Some border wall construction authorized in Rio Grande Valley

 Washington Examiner:

The Biden administration will allow a short stretch of former President Donald Trump's border wall in southeastern Texas to be completed following a three-month freeze on all projects up and down the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, according to a report.

A 13.4-mile stretch of slatted border fence in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas will be completed, the Army Corps of Engineers told Fox News on Wednesday. The decision to continue wall construction was the result of "pressure from local residents [and] politicians," reporter Bill Melugin wrote on Twitter.

"In support of CBP’s border infrastructure program, USACE has resumed DHS-funded design & construction support on approx. 13.4 miles of levee in the Rio Grande Valley that were partially excavated or at various levels of construction when work on the wall was paused for review," the Defense Department entity said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

...

Builders blew up portions of land so that vehicles could gain access to the riverfront. When wall construction was halted in January, the gaps were not filled. Because the region is prone to floods, the bottom cement half of the wall serves as a levee system to prevent water from making its way north. The gaps put residents at risk if waters from the Rio Grande River rise.

TOP REPUBLICANS PUSH GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG TO FORCE BIDEN TO FINISH BORDER WALL

Wall progress in the Rio Grande Valley has been slower than in other regions along the border. Seven miles were completed as of November 2020. Another 103 miles were funded and ready to go up, which would be in addition to an existing 55 miles of barrier. Border Patrol agents in the valley are responsible for 277 miles of largely overgrown brush that runs along the international boundary river.

Southeastern Texas is the only place where the wall doubles as a levee system....

...

I am not sure why this is described as "Southeastern Texas."  The Rio Grande Valley is hundreds of miles from Southeastern Texas and the Louisiana border.  The area is generally referred to by Texans as "The Valley." 

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