9 Comments

  • A border wall is, of course, a quintessential example of the proper use of eminent domain.

    • In theory, yes. However, if you read the article, it seems that in practice it was a huge mess, due to deadlines and the number of properties involved. They didn’t offer fair value for the land they took, they sometimes didn’t even survey the land to determine exactly what they were taking, and they gutted legal protections that were supposed to be in place.

  • No deed should ever have been issued for anything within 100′ of the border, possibly more.

    • Some of those deeds could well predate the existence of the border.

  • What happens to Va deeds when WV is created? And both of those are within the same nation. Are Mexico deeds even valid for United States land? After all, if we went thru the trouble of stealing it, do you think we’re just going to leave it with the original owners? 😀

  • “What happens to Va deeds when WV is created?”

    Probably nothing. There are parcels that cross state lines in other parts of the country where issues with splitting states don’t exist.

    “Are Mexico deeds even valid for United States land? After all, if we went thru the trouble of stealing it, do you think we’re just going to leave it with the original owners?”

    That may well depend on which side of the border the owner ended up on.

  • cecil, it wasn’t exactly theft. U.S. of America and U.S. of Mexico fought over it, then we paid them $15 million and agreed to settle all claims of USA citizens against Mexico. Sort of like a friendly match in soccer.
    Aren’t you kind of glad those parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming are in the USA? I think the people there have a better life than they would under administration from Mexico City. You say theft. It could also be called a public service.

    • Ulysses Grant considered it theft, but he did not try to give it back.

  • So what is it called if I want your 66 firebird, I come over, beat you badly and give you $100 and take the car? Yes, it’s not theft, but it’s still illegal. 😀