Questions remain after a razor-wire fence was installed in Peñitas along the border.

The fence is about half a mile long and is located along Military Highway near the city’s trash collection center.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez said he was only made aware of the fence on Wednesday.

Cortez issued a statement regarding the fence on social media, and spoke with Channel 5 News about it. 

RELATED STORY: Peñitas mayor reacts after razor wire fence pops up near the border

“We have buoys in the river; we now have concertina wire going over here. This is not a war zone,” Cortez said.

As previously reported, Peñitas Mayor Ramiro Loya said his city was not given a heads-up when men dressed in what appeared to be military camouflage began installing the fence in early January 2026.

Channel 5 News reached out to the Texas Military Department, the Pentagon, and Joint Base San Antonio. Officials said the fence is not theirs.

Cortez said he believes there are other ways to deal with immigration issues.

“If the lawmakers believe that our people want enforcement only policies, then they have to hear from the other side,” Cortez said. “We need the enforcement policy to keep the bad ones out, but we need to change the policy to bring the good ones in."

Border Pacific Railroad, the company that owns the property where the fence is located, said U.S. Border Patrol asked them for permission to install the fence.

Channel 5 News has been reaching out to Border Patrol for the past two weeks to confirm if the fence is theirs, but they have yet to respond.