The Trump administration’s proposal to develop new border infrastructure in the Big Bend region of West Texas has generated significant opposition. Landowners, environmental groups, and local officials have vocally objected, citing concerns that the project may disrupt access to remote land areas along the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande serves as an international boundary and a dynamic river system, leading to border infrastructure often being planned away from the riverbank and further inland.
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for their input on the matter.
Claims and Concerns
During an interview on The Bulwark podcast with Tim Miller, Isaac Saul, founder of the political newsletter Tangle, suggested that the construction of a federal border wall could result in the U.S. forfeiting large portions of land to Mexico. The Bulwark shared a video clip of the interview on X, where it quickly gained over 375,000 views.
Saul stated, “According to DHS, of where the wall is going to be, the acreage that will now be on the Mexico side, it looks like they’re about to basically put Americans on the other side of 280,000 acres of Texas land.” Saul further emphasized, “So Americans are going to be fenced out. We’re giving some land to Mexico? We’re giving 280,000 acres of land and the most important water source in West Texas to Mexico.”
Miller summarized, “Territorial concessions to Mexico was happening under the Trump administration?” Saul affirmed this notion.
Saul also shared that his family’s multi-generational ranch in West Texas received an eminent domain notification from the federal government, placing a barrier on their property and limiting access to the Rio Grande.
The Facts
Saul later clarified his position in an email to Newsweek, noting that the term “territorial concession” was first introduced by host Tim Miller, and The Bulwark framed the discussion around this term in their clip. He explained that his figure of 280,000 acres was based on analyzing Department of Homeland Security maps with artificial intelligence.
“I actually came to it by putting the maps into Claude and asking for estimates of how much land Texans would be cut off from (a rare use case of AI in my work I found helpful),” Saul stated.
Saul emphasized that the issue is that Americans are losing access to their own land, as the wall would allow Mexican agricultural workers easier access to the river compared to American landowners, separated by a 30-foot barrier.
Although constructing barriers inland places thousands of acres of American land south of the physical fence, this does not change the international boundary nor transfers legal ownership to Mexico.
The Boundary Treaty of 1970 between the United States and Mexico fixes the official line along the Rio Grande’s normal channel. Federal contractors must build back from the banks in line with guidelines from the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to avoid interfering with flood control and river flow.
Building north of the river does not represent a territorial concession and does not yield sovereignty or jurisdiction to Mexico. The federal government can acquire private land for infrastructure through negotiated purchases or eminent domain, meeting Fifth Amendment compensation requirements enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice.
While privately-owned land may be divided, making access more challenging, neither title nor territorial control changes. Federal officials maintain access rights where easements or land titles have been acquired, with each property having specific access parameters.
The Verdict
False. While the construction of border walls north of the Rio Grande presents access challenges for Texas property owners, it does not involve giving land to Mexico. The international border is maintained by treaty at the Rio Grande, and all land north of the river channel remains U.S. territory. The Mexican government does not receive legal rights, sovereignty, or title over the area.
If you have questions about this story, contact Newsweek editors John Fitzpatrick and Cristina Diciu.