By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - The U.S. government is ramping up its efforts to seize the private land it needs to build a border wall in South Texas. The Justice Department has filed three lawsuits so far this month against landowners in the Rio Grande Valley, the swath of border towns and farms at Texas' southernmost point. Many more lawsuits are expected over the next several weeks. President Donald Trump's signature campaign promise has consistently faced political, legal, and environmental obstacles in Texas. Much of the land along the river that forms the border in Texas is privately held and environmentally sensitive.

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