PENITAS, Texas — When you walk down a neighborhood, the last thing one expects to find is a tightly packed military-grade razor wire fence. However, in Penitas, Texas, that is exactly what has many residents concerned and afraid.
A video shared on social media, taken by a resident on his way home, showed what appears to be military personnel installing the fence right outside the city’s trash collection site. Marco Villareal’s home is right across the street from the facility’s main gate. From his large front yard he saw them too, and his mind immediately thought about how dangerous it is to have it so close to people’s homes.
“It’s a hazard. If someone was gonna get in an accident, they would get all wrapped up on that.” Villareal said.
This razor wire barrier is about a quarter mile long right along Military Highway and also right across the street from several other homes. We spoke to several residents who expressed their concerns. Most were afraid to speak on camera or to be identified, but their complaints are the same as Villareal’s.
“There’s kids in this neighborhood. It’s a hazard. Animal life too. There’s a lot of wildlife,” a resident said.
However, many are also questioning why this barrier was installed in the first place and why in this location, not far away from one of the main streets of town and several businesses and homes. Also, it’s a mystery for this community who even placed it there.
About a month ago, federal forces with the U.S. Northern Command announced the start of an operation that would put in place the longest extension of concertina wire placement across the southern border thus far, according to the release. The Joint Task Force-Southern Border would start sending and installing 43,000 rolls of wire on the nine U.S. Border Patrol districts in cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
We reached out to the Pentagon about the decision to install this segment here, but officials referred us to the Texas National Guard.
We also sent a request to the Texas Military Department for comment. A public information officer promised to come back to us with information, but never did. The Texas National Guard has issued no statement or confirmed if this fence is part of Operation Lone Star.
“It’s just ridiculous, straight-up ridiculous!” Villareal said in response to no agency claiming responsibility.
We also reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley sector and went to the Penitas City Hall looking for answers, but no one replied.
This part of Penitas is the closest to the Rio Grande River and is already lined by a segment of the border wall right behind the homes on Military Highway. It was built during the first Trump administration. The neighborhood is now between both barriers.
At our request, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez also issued a strongly worded statement saying, “This is not a war zone.”
Cortez also criticized the manner and location in which it was installed.
“Actions like this create concern in local communities especially when they happen without local input. These installations change the feel of public spaces and can create anxiety for families who are going about their daily lives,” he wrote.
In all of this confusion over who placed yet another border barrier, Villareal, like many here, just wants it gone.
“I feel like it’s not needed,” he said. “We have a border wall right behind us. What’s the point?”