In the three years since Donald Trump took office, one of the major hurdles for his much-promised Mexican border wall has been privately held land in Texas. As progress on the structure inches forward, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is taking legal action to overcome this obstacle.

According to the Associated Press, the DOJ earlier this month filed three lawsuits in an attempt to seize certain privately owned pieces of land in Texas. On Tuesday, the Department also moved to seized land from one of the suits immediately rather than waiting to go to court in February.

Almost 90 miles of the border wall have so far been built. Most of this progress was made in areas where old fencing was in need of replacement. Trump’s goal for the wall has been set at 500 miles by the end of next year. Accomplishing that will require a much more rapid rate of building in Texas.

The DOJ has said it is willing to file more suits and petitions in order to claim lands needed for the wall.

Pushback has come in other forms, as well. A federal judge recently blocked the government from using funds obtained after Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to construct the border wall. There have also been motions in Congress to block any construction in protected areas, like the Santa Ana National Wildlife.

Many have also pointed out the irreversible impact which construction could have on the environment near the border. In one part of the Sonora Desert, the wall threatens to cutoff local wildlife from one of the few nearby water sources.

A portion of the wall on the US-Mexico border seen from Chihuahua, Mexico
A portion of the wall on the US-Mexico border seen from Chihuahua, Mexico AFP / HERIKA MARTINEZ
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