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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Prototypes for wall to be built Companies will be given 30 days to complete border projects By Ron Nixon N EW YORK T I ME S NEWS S ERVICE
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security took the first major step on Thursday toward building a barrier on the border with Mexico, a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump, as officials announced that they had awarded contracts to build several prototypes of a concrete wall. Four companies will build
the prototypes in the San Diego area, said officials at Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the department. The companies selected will each have 30 days to complete the projects after the agency gives them the order to proceed. “The border wall prototypes and designs will complement other tools we employ to secure our borders,” said Ronald D. Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner at Customs and Border Protection. Vitiello said that the proto-
types would be about 30 feet high and that the contracts were between $400,000 and $500,000 each. The department has reallocated $20 million from other programs to pay for the prototypes and related costs. Homeland Security officials said the prototypes would be added to the existing walls in the San Diego area and would allow the agency to evaluate which barriers are most effective in giving Border Patrol agents time to respond to re-
ports of illegal drugs and human smuggling. The awarding of the contracts for a border wall comes as the government assesses the damage from Hurricane Harvey, which has devastated parts of Texas. Some congressional critics have accused the administration and its Republican allies of proposing cutting billions in funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead department for disaster recovery, to pay for a border wall.
An array of Democrats and other critics have called the wall unnecessary. “It’s hard to understand the strategic value of this wall in terms of protecting U.S. citizens and illegal activity,” said Laura Peterson, an investigator with the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, who was on the staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “CBP didn’t seem to need it before Trump’s executive order.”
TEXAS FUEL OUTAGES
RUMORS CAUSE GAS SHORTAGES
Chelsea Purgahn / AP
People line up in their cars to fill their tanks with gas at a Walmart in Tyler, Texas, on Thursday.
Panicked drivers are reportedly responsible for gas pumps closing across the state By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
Panic — not a fuel shortage — was responsible for long lines and outages at gas pumps in Laredo, Zapata and across the state this week, government officials and industry experts told the Dallas Morning News. Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said the shortage was caused by too many drivers trying to fill up at once. "This is a case of somewhat of a selffulfilling prophecy," he said Thursday in a news conference hosted by the Texas Tribune, according to the Dallas Morning News. "It's like a run on a bank out of ‘It's a Wonderful Life.’" The City of Laredo addressed the “gasoline panics” in a statement released late Thursday.
“Rumors on social media are primarily responsible for the recent public reaction, leading to long lines at local gasoline stations,” the statement reads. “We urge the public to verify their sources of information and call local authorities for more information.” Zapata The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office used its Facebook account Monday to address the supposed gas shortage. “We have spoken to the State about rumors of a fuel shortage in areas not affected by Hurricane Harvey. These are rumors, there is not going to be a shortage in fuel supplies,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Panicked fuel buyers have left some stores without fuel temporarily, but fuel deliveries are still scheduled. There may be some increase in fuel prices, but these would also be tempo-
rary due to Harvey.” Sheriff’s officials said reminded the community to be safe on the road. “We have been working some instances of traffic congestion and traffic incidents due to these rumors. Please remember to drive safely and be cautious of panicked or inattentive drivers. Stay safe,” authorities said. Laredo Laredo police went live on Facebook on Thursday afternoon to address reports of a gas shortage. Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, said there’s nothing to panic about because the rumors circulating on social are unfounded. He further stated people panicked and flocked to local gas stations, causing the lines to stretch out into the streets. There were also reports of
fights. Several cities across Texas reported similar issues. Baeza said patrol officers were out in the field mitigating the situation. “The only way we’re going to see a shortage of gas is if everybody in Laredo goes to the gas station and fills out. That’s obvious,” he said. Price gouging LPD also received reports of price gouging, with the cost of fuel increasing to $7 to $10 per gallon. On Thursday, four people filed police reports against a local Tejano Mart at 502 Lafayette St. for allegedly selling gas at $9.99 per gallon, according to police Baeza encouraged the community to report those businesses. He said gas prices are expected to increase but only by a few cents.
DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS
Leaders urge Trump not to terminate DACA By David Nakamura, David Weigel and Ed O’Keefe WA S H INGT ON P O ST
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and other Republican leaders in Congress on Friday urged President Donald Trump not to terminate an Obama-era program that has allowed nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” to live and work in the country without fear of deportation. Ryan said in a radio interview
that it was up to Congress to determine the fate of the immigrants enrolled in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which offers two-year work permits to those who have been in the country illegally since they were children. Asked if Trump should follow through on campaign pledges to end DACA, Ryan told WCLO in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin: “I actually don’t think he should do that. I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix.” Ryan acknowledged that
Republican lawmakers balked when Obama created the program through executive action in 2012, calling the move an unconstitutional use of his powers. But Ryan said the undocumented immigrants “are people who are in limbo. These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home. And so I really do believe there that there needs to be a legislative solution.” The Trump administration is facing a Tuesday deadline to rescind DACA or face a lawsuit
from Texas and nine other states. The president has reportedly been split between competing advice from his advisers. Immigration hardliners, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have said the program would lose in court while moderates, such as Chief of Staff John Kelly, have said terminating it would be a political liability. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also said he had lobbied the president not to rescind the program. In a statement, Hatch said Congress must provide “a
workable, permanent solution for individuals who entered the country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own and who have built their lives here.” Meanwhile, a small number of congressional Republicans are pitching a “conservative Dream Act” as a fail-safe. But it’s far from clear that Republicans could wrangle the votes to pass that bill in the House or where it might fit in a crowded September session already thrown off by Hurricane Harvey.