Texas rancher wants border wall on his property to protect him after multiple migrant break-ins – but only if the state will pay him
A Texas rancher wants the state to pay him before he builds a border across his entire property, despite being the victim of several burglaries by migrants.
Dr. Gary Schwarz, an oral surgeon from the Rio Grande Valley, owns a deer hunting and bass fishing operation called La Perla in rural western Zapata County, located off Highway 83 – three miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
The 71-year-old gets the water for his ranch from the strip of land he owns that leads to the Rio Grande — exactly where the state wants to build its border wall.
Texas has already received permission from two neighbors north of him to erect the 30-foot metal bollards across his riverfront land.
The rancher said he understands the need for more security but wants “fair compensation” from the state if he agrees to have a wall built on his property.
Dr. Gary Schwarz (pictured), a 71-year-old local farmer, wants the state of Texas to provide him with better border security after several migrant burglaries – but at a price
Schwarz has been the victim of several illegal migrant crossings and a burglary at his ranch, La Perla. the Rio Grande)
Construction of the border wall began in March under the Texas Facilities Commission. This is the first section of border wall to be built in Zapata County, which has a population of just 14,000 (photo: A drone view shows the US in the background as members of the Army National Guard and Texas State Troopers patrol the bank of the Rio Grande River)
‘I think they should pay me a reasonable premium, like a company would; that’s number 1,” he said Border report.
And under the constitution, Schwarz is guaranteed compensation when private property is acquired for public use.
“Just compensation is based on the fair market value of the land taken, generally determined by unit prices of comparable sales,” say Elaine Y. Lee and Michael H. Wallenstein of Pillsbury Law.
‘In simple terms, if similar land in the area surrounding your property sells for, say, $50,000 – $75,000 per acre, the value of your land will likely be based on that unit price multiplied by the number of acres seized, subject to adjustments for various factors such as development potential, size, access, shape, topography and others.’
But compensation is not limited to the value of the land taken.
‘Accordingly, you should be entitled to compensation equal to the diminished value of that land. You may also be entitled to compensation for the amount of any depreciation in the value of the land north of the wall,” Lee and Wallenstein said.
“Construction of the wall will require the government to impose additional temporary construction easements on many properties.
‘The value of these rights is generally determined by the reasonable rental value of the land during the construction period.
Pictured: A drone shot shows migrants from South and Central America as they line up against the border wall to surrender to border officials after gaining entry into El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Pictured: Migrants attempt to cross concertina wire at the US-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas
Pictured: Migrants gather as they attempt to enter US territory through the razor fence at the border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, northern Mexico
“Additionally, if you own or operate a business on land affected by the project, you may be entitled to certain costs to cover the relocation of that business, even if it is only a few hundred feet north.”
Schwarz said he also wants the state to guarantee continued access to his water pump and water rights in the Rio Grande.
“As an American, as a Texan, as a citizen of our country, it is essential. As a businessman, I have things that can really mess up,” he said.
“It’s my only water source, my river pump for 15,000 hectares of land – 3,000 of which are my own, and eight other owners own the rest. And we need that water.’
He uses a winding line that is adjusted regularly to find the optimal water source.
Schwarz said he plans to build a permanent irrigation system with a trench that brings water to the pump.
‘But if [the state] I won’t let it happen to me, that’s a game killer,” he said.
Construction of the border wall began in March under the Texas Facilities Commission. This is the first section of border wall to be built in Zapata County, which has a population of just 14,000.
Schwarz said he is grateful for Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security project, which has deployed National Guard and DPS troopers to the border since 2021.
He said he has seen a noticeable drop in illegal immigration in Zapata.
“It really makes me proud of Texas Governor Abbott and the work they’re doing here,” he said.
‘This is an engineering marvel. It’s beautiful,” Schwarz said. ‘A view of this drainage has been opened Rio.’
The state has already received permission from two neighbors north of him to erect the 30-foot metal bollards (pictured) across his riverfront land.
And according to the constitution, Schwarz (pictured) is guaranteed compensation when private property is acquired for public use
‘These banks were just vertical and they sloped away. I think it’s beautiful and it makes me feel safer.’
Schwarz, who bought the property in 2005, said his farm was broken into a year ago by a group of migrants, who also attacked his son – a situation he said was “quite scary.”
His fence has been destroyed several times over the years by migrant crossings.
“Our problems have been a lot of problems at night where they crawl over our fences and either cut our fences and we lose our valuable animals or they crawl over them and just literally so many people crawl over them and knock down your fences. . That’s a big problem,” he said.