The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun drilling and taking soil samples in preparation for President Donald Trump's border wall.
The New York Times is reporting that testing is already complete in El Paso, but continues in the Rio Grande Valley and other locations where border wall improvements are expected.
Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to evaluate dozens of prototypes for a wall. Nobody from CBP or the Corps was available for comment Thursday.
The House Appropriations Committee this week approved a spending bill that included $1.6 billion to fund 74 miles of fencing along the southwest border. Officials previously said much of it will shore up existing infrastructure and add levee walls in parts of the Rio Grande Valley.