A Brownsville family says the city built a road on their private property without permission — and kept working even after they demanded it stop.

The road, covered in asphalt millings, sits behind Mexico Boulevard near the border. It is now at the center of a dispute between the family and the city.

Gustavo De Leon, the executor of the property, said he spotted city crews on the land while checking on it.

De Leon, who is also a Brownsville city commissioner, said he is speaking as a landowner. His family has owned the land for more than 90 years.

He says the city never had permission to be there.

"No one ever gave permission. No one ever granted an easement, and no one ever agreed to allow them to dump used road material on our property," De Leon said.

De Leon says he discovered city crews working on the property on May 4, 2026. He says he immediately contacted the city attorney.

"When we came out here together, we came out here several times. I would say it was about four different times we walked the property; we were in awe. Very surprised this happened," De Leon said.

De Leon then filed a police report and sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the work stop.

"That went unanswered for three days until they finished this road. So work kept going for three days, and the dumping kept on for three days," De Leon said.

De Leon says more than 17,000 square feet of materials were left on the more than 10-acre piece of land.

"This is probably .94 acres, almost one acre of millings that were thrown on here and about five inches deep," De Leon said.

He says the family uses the land to grow grass and sell bales of hay to ranches for livestock.

Channel 5 News reached out to a city spokesperson and asked who approved the project, what the purpose of the work was, how much it cost taxpayers, and what the city's response to the claims was. The city declined to comment.

Channel 5 News also filed a public information request seeking records related to the project, including who authorized the work, the cost of the project, any surveys or easements used before construction, and communications between city officials about the road.

De Leon says the road will remain in place until the dispute is resolved. He wants the property restored to its original condition.

"And it will be done, and everything that was thrown on our property will be removed, but it comes at a cost we shouldn't have incurred in the first place," De Leon said.

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