A flyer advertising “Mexican laborers” for a border wall construction project in Far West Texas — first reported by Big Bend Reporter on June 3 after being spotted on a Presidio County bulletin board — now appears to have been part of a prank or satirical effort rather than a legitimate hiring campaign.
The Big Bend Sentinel reported Thursday that the flyer, which advertised “Mexican Laborers Needed for Border Project” at $12 an hour and included contact information for construction contractor Barnard, was not an authentic recruitment effort and was not created or distributed by the company.
Big Bend Reporter’s original June 3 story reported on the flyer after a local resident photographed it on a community bulletin board in Presidio County and shared it publicly online. The physical flyer itself was real and had been publicly posted, though at the time, it remained unclear who created it, how widely it had been distributed or whether it reflected an actual hiring effort connected to border wall construction.
The flyer drew attention because of the apparent irony of recruiting Mexican laborers to help construct a border wall intended to deter unlawful migration.
According to the Sentinel’s reporting, a Barnard Construction spokesperson told that publication the company had nothing to do with the flyers and described the idea that the company would pay workers such a low wage as “absurd.” The Sentinel reported that the company said workers on its projects must be documented and that hiring is conducted through recruiters and its website, not through publicly posted flyers.
The Sentinel also reported that Barnard received numerous calls after the flyers circulated, with many people asking whether the postings were legitimate and some reportedly inquiring about jobs.
Big Bend Reporter published its original story after the flyer surfaced publicly and began circulating online. As additional reporting emerged — including the Sentinel’s follow-up and additional context from the company relayed through that reporting — a fuller picture developed indicating the flyer was likely intended as satire or a prank.
The episode serves as a reminder that even when something physically exists and is publicly posted, questions about who created it and whether it is legitimate can take time to answer. In fast-moving rural stories, additional reporting often adds important context in the days that follow.
