On the lower Rio Grande, a glimpse at the border Trump wants

ROMA, Texas (AP) — There is at least one place where President Donald Trump’s vision is becoming reality: the sinuous lower Rio Grande Valley, scene of more unauthorized crossings than any other stretch between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Stymied by Congress and the courts, President Donald Trump has struggled to make good on his signature campaign promise of building a border wall. But Congress in March funded construction of new wall in two South Texas counties.

And at Trump’s call, more than 1,000 Texas National Guard members were stationing at the border.

Trump says the Guard is necessary to guard the border until the wall can be built. But many residents aren’t certain. One says the deployment and the wall feed into the assertion that “everybody who lives here is part of one giant smuggling operation.”