Plans for Donald Trump's border wall on Texas wildlife refuge in the works

See some of the proposed designs submitted for a potential U.S.-Mexico border wall... See some of the proposed designs submitted for a potential U.S.-Mexico border wall... Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Plans for Donald Trump's border wall on Texas wildlife refuge in the works 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Private contractors and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have spent the past six months working on the first part of President Donald Trump's border wall in Texas.

The first part of the wall on the federally owned Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in South Texas is in the works, according to the Texas Observer.

The 2,088-acre refuge could see an 18-foot high wall erected on it in Jan. 2018.

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Conservationists have already raised concerns over the disruption Trump's wall could create to the refuge, particularly with birders.

Carlos A. Díaz, the southwest border branch chief for CPD, called the discussion of specific border wall locations "premature."

"Currently we are in the research and planning process for construction of new wall," Diaz told Chron.com. "At this point the only specific projects that we're going to be working on, are the 35 gates in the Rio Grande Valley as authorized by the enacted FY17 Budget. Basically there are a number of gaps on the wall through RGV and those gates will be installed to close said gaps.

In regards to new Wall construction projects in the Rio Grande Valley, funding will come from the FY18 budget."

In April, construction companies eager to work on the wall released their designs that ranged from the futuristic to the rustic. Texas Republican Will Hurd provided a counter plan to Trump's $20 billion wall with the "Secure Miles with All Resources and Technology Act," or SMART Act.

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Hurd's proposal would use Silicon Valley technology to monitor and secure the border.