Conservative Republican Congressman Will Hurd represents a Texas district that includes about 800 miles of the Mexican border — about 40 percent of the whole thing — and he calls Trump’s proposed wall “the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border” and even “impossible to build” in some places.

(Even trying to build it would create huge problems for some of his constituents. It’s been widely noted that the wall would require seizing a lot of private land.)

Below is a statement Congressman Hurd published on his House of Representatives website January 25:

The facts have not changed. Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border. Each section of the border faces unique geographical, cultural, and technological challenges that would be best addressed with a flexible, sector-by-sector approach that empowers the agents on the ground with the resources they need. A wall may be an effective tool in densely populated areas, but a variety of tools are needed between Brownsville, Texas and San Diego, California. The 23rd District of Texas, which I represent, has over 800 miles of the border, more than any other Member of Congress, and it is impossible to build a physical wall in much of its terrain. Big Bend National Park and many areas in my district are perfect examples of where a wall is unnecessary and would negatively impact the environment, private property rights, and economy. There is no question that we must secure our border, but we need an intelligence-led approach in order to effectively combat the 19 criminal organizations currently operating in Mexico.

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