Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland is challenging Republican and Democratic candidates to visit the Big Bend border region and see where a planned multibillion-dollar vehicle barrier and road project would be built.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Cleveland invited candidates, their staffs and members of the media to travel to Sanderson and meet the landowners, business operators and residents who could be affected by the federal project.
“We may be a town of fewer than 700 people, but we’re in the middle of a $2.6 billion federal project that taxpayers are paying for,” Cleveland wrote. “If you’re going to campaign on border policy, infrastructure, or government spending, come see what those decisions look like on the ground.”
Cleveland said the proposed project would span 156 miles from Brewster County to Val Verde County, with Sanderson about 54 miles into the planned route.
The sheriff said the visit would allow candidates to see the land where the barrier is proposed, hear directly from residents and better understand how the project could affect private property, local businesses and rural communities.
“Private landowners, local businesses, and rural communities are the ones who will bear the costs of these decisions,” Cleveland wrote. “If you’re asking Texans to accept a multi-billion-dollar project in their backyard, then come see it firsthand and hear directly from the people who call this place home.”
Cleveland offered to host candidates and take them through communities along the border, including Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, Alpine, Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, Lajitas, Redford, Presidio, Sierra Blanca and El Paso.
The proposed infrastructure has not yet been built. Cleveland’s invitation is intended to show candidates the landscape, communities and private land that could be affected if the project moves forward.
He also questioned whether the money could be better spent on other needs in Texas, including reliable water infrastructure, improvements to the electric grid and efforts to address the New World screwworm threat.
Cleveland said the invitation is open to candidates from both parties.
“Come spend a day with us,” he wrote. “Meet the people. See the land. Ask questions. Then decide for yourself.”
“Rural Texans deserve to be part of the conversation, not an afterthought.”
