The QueQue: Anti-Muslim hate on the rise in SA, Border Wall reanimating in Rio Grande floodplain

Efforts to garner comment from Mexico-IBWC were unsuccessful last week. On the U.S. side, Isela Canava, a civil engineer with U.S. IBWC, said treaty disagreements "are not taken lightly" but that she did not know the specifics of the project. The representative who had that information at the group's boundary and realty office did not return calls for comment.

While the U.S. Congress cleared Homeland Security (which oversees CBP and a number of other agencies) to vault dozens of federal laws to construct the border wall (and a press is on in Congress now to exempt the rest of U.S. borderlands — north and south — from environmental regulations), they are not supposed to vault international treaties, as appears to be happening, said Nicol. "Anything that is built within the floodplain that could potentially cause an impact you have to have agreement from both sides. They are not allowed to make unilateral decisions, but that's exactly what's happened."

What about flooding? Destruction of habitat? Endangered species? U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials said they'd have to check and get back to us on that. We're still waiting. Meanwhile, though there have been no signs of construction yet, hurricane season in the Gulf got underway last month. •