The Border Chronicle Weekly Roundup: July 10

So far, July has been a very good month for small but significant wins for border communities. From Brownsville, Texas, to Nogales, Arizona, residents are pushing back against federal government and corporate land grabs and against further militarization.

Yesterday, elected officials and residents in Cameron County, Texas, torpedoed the renaming of historic Boca Chica Beach to “Cyber Beach” in honor of Elon Musk. The name change was proposed by a fan of Musk’s in Mississippi who had petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change it to “Cyber Beach,” due to its proximity to Musk’s SpaceX.

Local county officials filed an objection in April but were not notified of this week’s federal hearing. "We asked that we be advised of any future action they may take; unfortunately, we didn't learn about this except through social media yesterday in the last 24-36 hours," Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño told KRGV news.

Residents and local civic organizations quickly rallied, with nearly 3,000 people filing their objections to the name change. At the hearing, the federal committee quickly voted against the proposal to change Boca Chica Beach to Cyber Beach, noting the overwhelming opposition from the community. Even Musk's own city, Starbase, didn't support the name change.

On Tuesday in Eagle Pass, Texas, the city council at the urging of residents, denied a proposed land lease agreement with Gibraltar Construction Company that would have allowed the company to fence off the city’s public park, Shelby Park, to use as a staging ground for floating buoy barriers to be installed on the Rio Grande. Luis Alfonso Ruiz of the Maverick Accountability Project, a local organization that lobbied against the lease, said in a statement after the vote: “Words matter in legal contracts. When the city administration tries to call an eighteen-month irrevocable agreement 'temporary,' they are misleading the public. We are here to enforce accuracy, transparency, and oversight.” 

Similarly, last week, in Nogales, Arizona, the city council issued a resolution demanding that the federal government remove the concertina wire within its city limits. “These multiple layers of concertina wire are a tragedy waiting to happen, and we are thankful to the City of Nogales for taking this important step to oppose it. Local leaders are showing that they will not stand by as their communities are treated as sacrifice zones,” said Erick Meza, coordinator for Sierra Club Borderlands, who advocated for the resolution. This is the second time that the city of Nogales has demanded that the federal government remove the multiple layers of ugly and dangerous concertina wire from the border wall within its city limits.

With these wins, it’s encouraging to see what grassroots organizing can achieve, even when border communities are up against the Trump administration and Elon Musk.

This Week in The Border Chronicle:

Who Pays for Brownsville’s Industrial and Tech Boom?

County leaders say tax abatements attract jobs. But some residents argue the incentives enrich billion-dollar corporations while they shoulder the costs of growth, pollution, strained public resources, and environmental loss.

The Border ChronicleMichael Gonzalez

Reporter’s Notebook: NAFTA, Tijuana Art Week, and the Built Environment of the Baja Borderlands

A road trip through Baja California reveals how free trade, migration, and border policy have reshaped Tijuana’s landscape, and why the uncertain future of the USMCA invites new questions about what comes next.

The Border ChronicleCaroline Tracey

More News from Across the Border Region:

Pulido responds to reports about former accordionist MyRGV.com

He wrote a scathing message to ICE. Federal agents showed up at his door. The Washington Post

Transborder mobility: How residents of Ambos Nogales use scooters to travel seamlessly between borders Caló News

Gov. Abbott to probe Mission Regional over ‘birth tourism’ allegations MyRGV.com

Vehicles Can’t Cross the Big Bend Canyon Lands. That Isn’t Stopping Trump From Spending $2.6 Billion on a Vehicle Barrier. Texas Monthly

Private prison company sells two of California’s immigrant detention centers to the feds Cal Matters