December 4, 2013: Texas Border Fence Gates Remain Open
https://www.krgv.com/news/border-fence-gates-remain-open/
HIDALGO COUNTY - Plans to get more gates along the border fence have been placed on hold.
The federal government earlier this year said there was no funding to close the gaps along the fence. People who live near the gates already in place said they are a waste of money.
"I'm not sure if they're done or not, because I see them working on it," Heriberto Chavez said.
Chavez said he doesn't know if the rusty gates even work. He said no one has ever closed them.
"It's always open. They've never closed it," he said.
The Department of Homeland Security installed five gates along a stretch of the border fence in 2012.
The idea was to give those who needed to use the gates access codes to open and close them. Those without the code or with a wrong code would not be able to go through.
"I'm not sure why they put it," Chavez said with a laugh.
DHS stopped installing the gates earlier this year.
"At this time, no date has been set for Phase II and Phase III gate construction as no funding is currently available," A DHS statement said.