Andrik Gonzalez

Guest Column Posted Friday, May 1, 2026 9:15 am What the Valley needs is a formal inter-county compact among all four counties to coordinate infrastructure priorities, align capital planning, and jointly pursue state and federal funding.” The Rio Grande Valley is one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas, with its population expected to double by 2045.

The U.S.-Mexico border stretches nearly 2,000 miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast, and in recent months it has become the focus of unprecedented public investment. Billions of federal dollars have been allocated toward border enforcement, surveillance technology, and physical infrastructure. Yet just beyond this expanding border apparatus, many of the communities that live and work along the border remain disconnected from the basic public infrastructure that shapes daily life.

The U.S.-Mexico border stretches nearly 2,000 miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast, and in recent months it has become the focus of unprecedented public investment. Billions of federal dollars have been allocated toward border enforcement, surveillance technology, and physical infrastructure. Yet just beyond this expanding border apparatus, many of the communities that live and work along the border remain disconnected from the basic public infrastructure that shapes daily life.