The Rio Grande Valley's second state-built border wall is underway at the west end of Los Indios, according to a city official. Employees for the contractor Posilico Civil, Inc. are prepping border wall panels for installation along a stretch running just a few feet north of the federal levee.

The state effort differs from the federal border wall project, which largely ended with the start of the Biden administration. The White House announced an end to construction in 2021, limiting construction to "life, safety, environmental and remediation requirements."

The newest project in Los Indios comes after the Texas Facilities Commission signed more than $845 million in various contracts over the last two years for border wall construction.

The Commission's last project in the Valley is the 1.7 mile state border wall in Starr County, build on land managed by the Texas General Land Office.

Posilico Civil, a construction contractor based in New York, is leading the construction project in Los Indios.

"We're now resuming actual construction of the wall." Texas Facilities Commission Executive Director Mike Novak said at a Commission meeting Thursday. "At a location in the vicinity of the Rio Grande Valley, we were actually erecting panels."

He noted the project in Los Indios started December 21.

The details and the length of the Los Indios wall still have not been made public, nor has the price tag. 

The 1.7 mile wall in Starr County was funded as part of a contract granting up to $192 million to the contractor. The exact amount spent isn't clear. 

But the Texas Facilities Commission director said the state is saving money by purchasing surplus wall panels previously built for the federal government. Many of those panels are left over at sites around the Valley, following Biden's order to cease most wall construction.

When reached for information about the Los Indios wall site, a Border Patrol spokesperson said he had no knowledge of such a project.

Los Indios Alderman Rick Cavazos, the city's former mayor and a former Border Patrol agent, confirmed the border wall construction is a state project.

The Texas Facilities Commission has declined to confirm if this site in Los Indios is the new state border wall.

"Specific work locations are not being released at this time," said Commission spokesperson Francoise Luca.