Editing Brownsville, Texas (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Brownsville, Texas}}

=== Founding ===
[[File:Emory-Brownsville.jpg|thumb|left|Brownsville in 1857]]

In 1781, Spanish government officials granted José Salvador de la Garza 59 leagues of land (408 sq mi). He used the land to construct a ranch several miles northwest of the area. During the early 1800s, Brownsville was known to residents as ''los tejidos'' (English: "[[pasture]]lands").<ref name="brownsvillearchive">{{cite web |title=Brownsville from 1846... (1996) |url=https://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php/Brownsville_from_1846... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230110738/http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php/Brownsville_from_1846... |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 30, 2015 |website=Texas Archive |publisher=Brownsville Historical Association |access-date=January 2, 2019 |date=1996}}</ref> The area was inhabited by a few settlers around 1836 when Texas [[Texas Declaration of Independence|declared its independence]] from Mexico. On February 4, 1846, President [[James K. Polk]] instructed American General [[Zachary Taylor]] and his troops, including 2nd LT. Ulysses S. Grant, to begin moving south towards Brownsville. Once Taylor arrived, he built [[Forts of Texas#Mexican–American War|Fort Texas]]. It was later renamed [[Fort Brown]] in honor of Major Jacob Brown,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr87|title=Brown, Jacob|last=Cutrer|first=Thomas W.|date=June 12, 2010|website=tshaonline.org|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702212818/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr87|url-status=live}}</ref> one of two soldiers who died during the [[siege of Fort Texas]].<ref name="brownsvillearchive"/><ref name="siegeoftexas">{{cite news |title=Fort Texas / Fort Brown |url=https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/siegeofforttexas.htm |access-date=January 4, 2019 |work=United States Department of the Interior |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103074927/https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/siegeofforttexas.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Charles Stillman]] arrived in Matamoros in 1828 from [[Connecticut]] to help his father in the mercantile business.<ref name="brownsvillearchive"/> Brownsville became part of Texas after the signing of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] in 1848. During that year, Stillman formed a partnership with Samuel Belden<ref>{{cite news |last1=Long |first1=Gary |title=Belden Trail off and running |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/belden-trail-off-and-running/article_cb243d58-929a-11e2-8d23-001a4bcf6878.html |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=[[The Brownsville Herald]] |date=March 21, 2013}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and Simon Mussina to form the Brownsville Town Company.<ref name="watrousarchive">{{cite news |title=The Texas Land Frauds.; Branch of the Watrous Impeachment Case. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1860/08/18/archives/the-texas-land-frauds-branch-of-the-watrous-impeachment-case.html |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 18, 1860 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103012011/https://www.nytimes.com/1860/08/18/archives/the-texas-land-frauds-branch-of-the-watrous-impeachment-case.html |url-status=live}}</ref> They reportedly sold lots valued at $1,500. The city of Brownsville was originally established in late 1848 by Stillman, and was made the county seat of Cameron County on January 13, 1849. The state originally incorporated the city on January 24, 1850. This was repealed on April 1, 1852, because of a land-ownership dispute between Stillman and its former owners (including [[Juan Cortina]], a Mexican rancher). The state reincorporated the city on February 7, 1853; this remains in effect. The issue of ownership was not decided until 1879, when the [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]] ruled in favor of Stillman.<ref name="watrousarchive"/>

===Mexican–American War===
{{Main|Mexican–American War}}
[[File:Nebel Mexican War 01 Battle of Palo Alto.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Palo Alto]] was fought on May 8, 1846]]

On April 25, 1846, Captain [[Seth B. Thornton]] received reports of Mexican troops crossing the Rio Grande. Thornton and 63 [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)#Mexican–American War|U.S. dragoons]] moved to Rancho de Carricitos and discovered several houses in the area. Mexican General Anastasio Torrejón crossed the Rio Grande the previous day. He commanded 1,600 cavalry and infantry troops to surround Thornton's troops in fractions. Due to heavy force from Torrejón's troops, Thornton's troops surrendered. Eleven American casualties were reported; 45 troops and Thornton were held as prisoners. Reports of the incident were sent to President James K. Polk, who announced, "American blood has been spilled upon the American territory." On May 13, the [[United States Congress]] declared war against Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rancho de Carricitos |url=https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/ranchodecarricitos.htm |department=National Park Service |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=December 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224024402/https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/ranchodecarricitos.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

American General [[Zachary Taylor]] retreated from Fort Texas on May 1, 1846; Mexican General [[Mariano Arista]] began preparing artillery and troops from across the Rio Grande.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf07|title=For Brown|first=Elizabeth D.|last=Pettit|date=June 12, 2010|publisher=tshaonline.org|access-date=August 1, 2016|archive-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918083512/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf07|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 3, Arista and the Mexican Army began the siege of Fort Texas, during the first active campaign in the Mexican–American War. This was counteracted by the [[7th Infantry Regiment (United States)|United States 7th Infantry Regiment]].<ref name="siegeoftexas"/> Despite heavy strikes, Mexican General [[Pedro de Ampudia]] outlined a traditional siege to move forward. Taylor was notified of the incident and began moving towards Fort Texas. Mexican troops intercepted them near [[Palo Alto, Texas|Palo Alto]], about {{convert|5|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of present-day Brownsville,<ref>{{cite web |title=Battles of the War: The Battle of Palo Alto |url=https://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/palo_alto.html |website=Public Broadcasting Service |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118212526/http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/palo_alto.html |url-status=live}}</ref> resulting in the first battle of the war.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palo Alto Battlefield |url=https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/paloalto.htm |website=National Park Service |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-date=June 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614232202/https://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/paloalto.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The following day, Mexican troops had retreated. Taylor's troops charged up to them, resulting in the [[Battle of Resaca de la Palma]], which took place within the present limits. When Taylor arrived at the besieged Fort Texas, he found that two soldiers, including the fort's commander, Major Jacob Brown, had died. Brown, who suffered an injury when a cannonball hit his leg, died three days after his injury on May 9. In his honor, General Taylor renamed the facility as Fort Brown. An old cannon at the [[University of Texas at Brownsville]] and [[Texas Southmost College]] marks the spot where Major Brown received his fatal wound.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brownsville: Fort Brown |url=http://texastropicaltrail.com/plan-your-adventure/historic-sites-and-cities/sites/fort-brown |website=Texas Tropical Trail |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105044609/http://texastropicaltrail.com/plan-your-adventure/historic-sites-and-cities/sites/fort-brown |url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 13, 1859, Juan Cortina saw Brownsville city Marshal Robert Sheers arrest and beat an elderly man who had been a ranch hand at his mother's ranch. Cortina approached the marshal, questioning his motives, before shooting him twice after he refused to release the man. The first shot reportedly missed Sheers, but the second struck his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Cortina and the elderly man rode off on a horse.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Leanos | first1=Reynaldo Jr. |title=Remembering the Birthday of Juan Cortina, The 'Robin Hood of the Rio Grande' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/remembering-birthday-juan-cortina-robin-hood-rio-grande-n759851 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |work=NBC News |date=May 16, 2017 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103142040/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/remembering-birthday-juan-cortina-robin-hood-rio-grande-n759851 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Documents on the Brownsville Uprising of Juan Cortina |url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/cortinas.htm |website=Public Broadcast Service |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226001720/http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/cortinas.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, Cortina returned with troops, executing four Anglo men and simultaneously releasing several Mexican prisoners. He then issued a proclamation explaining his reasons for the attack.<ref>{{cite web |title=Juan Cortina (1824-1892) |url=http://noblebandits.asu.edu/Bio/Cortina.html |website=Noble Bandits |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413080636/http://noblebandits.asu.edu/Bio/Cortina.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Civil War===
{{Main|American Civil War}}
[[File:Palmito Ranch Battlefield Texas.jpg|thumb|Map showcasing the location of the Battle of Palmito Ranch]]

During the [[American Civil War]], Brownsville served as a smuggling point for Confederate goods into Mexico. Most significantly, cotton was smuggled to European ships through the Mexican port of [[Bagdad, Tamaulipas|Bagdad]] to avoid Union [[blockade]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burnett |first1=John |last2=Peñaloza |first2=Marisa |title=Corruption On The Border: Dismantling Misconduct In The Rio Grande Valley |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/413463836/corruption-on-the-border-dismantling-misconduct-in-the-rio-grande-valley |access-date=January 2, 2019 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |date=July 6, 2015 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103005008/https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/413463836/corruption-on-the-border-dismantling-misconduct-in-the-rio-grande-valley |url-status=live}}</ref> The city was located at the end of the "Cotton Road",<ref name="truewest"/> southwest of the [[Cotton Belt]].<ref name=Infoplease>{{Cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0813754.html |title=Cotton Belt |website=Infoplease |access-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925002908/http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0813754.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In November 1863, Union troops landed at [[Port Isabel, Texas|Port Isabel]] and marched towards Brownsville to take control of Fort Brown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Battle of Palmito |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Lower_Rio_Grande_Valley/about/battle_of_palmito.html |website=[[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102193500/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Lower_Rio_Grande_Valley/about/battle_of_palmito.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In the ensuing [[Battle of Brownsville]], Confederate forces abandoned the fort, blowing it up with {{convert|8000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} of explosives. In 1864, Confederate forces commanded by Colonel [[John Salmon Ford]] reoccupied the town, and he became mayor of Brownsville.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Historic Landmark Nomination |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/dbaa0e66-57d3-4d5d-8759-9d058542d8b5 |website=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105094159/https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/dbaa0e66-57d3-4d5d-8759-9d058542d8b5 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Guide to the John Salmon "Rip" Ford Papers, ''circa'' 1836-1896 |url=https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/01239/cah-01239.html |website=legacy.lib.utexas.edu |access-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001041804/https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/01239/cah-01239.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Robert E. Lee]] and his Confederate army surrendered to Union commander [[Ulysses S. Grant]] on April 9, 1865, signing a hand-written document at the [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park|Appomattox Court House]], officially ending the American Civil War.<ref>Davis, p. 387; Calkins, p. 175, states Lee and Marshall left the McLean House "some time after 3:00 in the afternoon".; Eicher, ''The Longest Night'', p. 819, states "the surrender interview lasted until about 3:45 p.m."</ref> Theodore Barrett was ordered to move 500 [[1st Missouri Regiment of Colored Infantry|62nd Regiment]] troops of colors towards Brazos Island. On May 11, Barrett's troops moved inland towards Brownsville and spotted Confederate soldiers.<ref name="palmitoranch">{{cite news |last1=Zoellner |first1=Tom |title=End of an Error |url=https://www.texasobserver.org/final-civil-war-battle-in-south-texas/ |access-date=January 9, 2019 |work=[[The Texas Observer]] |date=April 27, 2015 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109155504/https://www.texasobserver.org/final-civil-war-battle-in-south-texas/ |url-status=live}}</ref> John Salmon Ford received news of this and prepared to attack. On May 15, 1865, 34 days after the [[Battle of Appomattox Court House#Surrender|signing of the surrender]], the [[Battle of Palmito Ranch]] took place. Confederates killed or wounded around 30 opponents and captured more than 100 other troops.<ref name="palmitoranch"/> This is accepted by some historians as the last battle of the American Civil War.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenspan |first1=Jesse |title=9 Things You May Not Know About Texas |url=https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-texas |publisher=[[History (U.S. TV network)|History]] |access-date=January 9, 2019 |date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109155507/https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-texas |url-status=live}}</ref> President Grant sent Union General [[Frederick Steele]] to Brownsville to patrol the United States–Mexico border after the Civil War to aid the ''[[Juaristas]]'' with military supplies.<ref>{{cite web|last=Scribner|first=John|title=The Texas Navy|url=http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/articles/texasnavy/texasnavy.htm|publisher=[[Texas Military Forces Museum]]|access-date=November 4, 2011|archive-date=September 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929025827/http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/articles/texasnavy/texasnavy.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Jerry D.|title=Cortina: defending the Mexican name in Texas|year=2007|publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]]|page=332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aFsCTOTGHaoC&q=Pedro+Hinojosa+matamoros&pg=PA182|isbn=9781585445929|access-date=October 16, 2020|archive-date=October 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001041804/https://books.google.com/books?id=aFsCTOTGHaoC&q=Pedro+Hinojosa+matamoros&pg=PA182|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Delaney|first=Robert W.|title=Matamoros, Port for Texas during the Civil War|date=April 1955|journal=[[The Southwestern Historical Quarterly]] |jstor=30241907|volume=58|issue=4|pages=473–487}}</ref>

===20th century===

Texas, like other Southern states, passed a new constitution and [[Jim Crow]] laws that established racial segregation and disenfranchised African Americans at the turn of the 20th century, generally by raising barriers to voter registration. While Hispanic residents were considered white under the terms of the United States annexation of Texas, legislatures found ways to suppress their participation in politics.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hlavac |first1=Steven |title=Scholar probes lynching of Mexicans in early 20th-century Texas |url=https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2017/11/29/scholar-probes-lynching-mexicans-early-20th-century-texas |website=[[University of Colorado]] |access-date=January 4, 2019 |date=November 29, 2017 |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105043305/https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2017/11/29/scholar-probes-lynching-mexicans-early-20th-century-texas |url-status=live}}</ref>

====1906 Brownsville affair and Black soldiers====
On August 13 and 14, 1906, Brownsville was the site of the [[Brownsville affair]]. Racial tensions were increasing between white townsfolk and black infantrymen who were stationed at Fort Brown. On the night of August 13, one white bartender was killed, and a white police officer was wounded by rifle shots in the street.<ref name="Christian">{{cite web|last = Christian|first = Garna L.|date = June 12, 2010|title = Brownsville Raid of 1906|publisher = Texas State Historical Association|work = The Handbook of Texas Online|url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/pkb06|access-date = July 22, 2012|archive-date = August 29, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120829212131/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/pkb06|url-status = live}}</ref> Townsfolk, including the mayor, accused the infantrymen of the murders. Without affording them a chance to defend themselves in a hearing, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] dishonorably discharged the entire 167-member regiment due to their alleged "[[Conspiracy of silence (expression)|conspiracy of silence]]".<ref name="Christian"/> Investigations in the 1970s revealed that the soldiers were not responsible for the attacks, and the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon Administration]] reversed all dishonorable discharges.<ref name="Christian"/> Fort Brown was decommissioned after the end of [[World War II]] in 1945. In 1948, the city and college acquired the land.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cavalry Building, which served as barracks at Fort Brown in Brownsville, Texas, until World War I |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2014630473/ |website=www.loc.gov |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105043417/https://www.loc.gov/item/2014630473/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Public Health====
In the spring of 1991, a cluster of [[anencephaly]] cases in the area made national headlines,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Xiao |first=Emily |date=July 2023 |title=Lessons from Brownsville's anencephaly cluster |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01318-1 |journal=The Lancet |volume=402 |issue=10395 |pages=17–19 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(23)01318-1 |pmid=37393913 |s2cid=259290246 |issn=0140-6736}}</ref> prompting a public health investigation. A high anencephaly rate, of 19.7 per 10,000 live births, was found. Additionally, it was discovered that other [[neural tube defect]]s, including [[spina bifida]] and [[encephalocele]], had been an ongoing, undetected issue in pregnant Mexican-American women for years in the area.<ref name="mmwr">{{Cite journal |last=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |date=January 14, 2000 |title=Neural tube defect surveillance and folic acid intervention--Texas-Mexico border, 1993-1998 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10993565 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=1–4 |issn=0149-2195 |pmid=10993565}}</ref> Subsequently, multiple [[risk factor]]s were found, such as [[folate deficiency]], and that increasing dietary folate intake had a protective effect.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Suarez |first1=Lucina |last2=Felkner |first2=Marilyn |last3=Brender |first3=Jean D. |last4=Canfield |first4=Mark |last5=Zhu |first5=Huiping |last6=Hendricks |first6=Katherine A. |date=November 2012 |title=Neural tube defects on the Texas-Mexico border: What we've learned in the 20 years since the Brownsville cluster |journal=Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology |volume=94 |issue=11 |pages=882–892 |doi=10.1002/bdra.23070|pmid=22945287 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===21st century===
Brownsville has received significant media attention surrounding immigration policies and border-wall funding costs. In 2006, President [[George W. Bush]] signed into law the [[Secure Fence Act of 2006]]. The act administered the construction of a tall border "fence" extending from the [[Pacific Ocean]] (at [[San Diego]] and [[Tijuana]]'s border crossing), through the entry of the [[Port of Brownsville]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Secure Fence Act of 2006 |url=https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ367/PLAW-109publ367.pdf |website=[[United States Congress]] |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=December 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213113708/https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ367/PLAW-109publ367.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] issued a proposal to add {{convert|70|mi|abbr=on}} of border fence, an action which would potentially reallocate portions of the [[University of Texas at Brownsville]] campus.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roebuck |first1=Jeremy |title=Maps show Valley with 70 miles of the border fence |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/maps-show-valley-with-miles-of-the-border-fence/article_288aa56e-0d57-5749-b1b8-b28f0e403a3e.html |access-date=January 2, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=September 25, 2007}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kahn |first1=Carrie |title=Border Fence A Great Divide For Texas Landowners |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88802928 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |publisher=National Public Radio |date=March 24, 2008 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004848/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88802928 |url-status=live}}</ref> The proposal would have transferred {{convert|180|acre|ha|abbr=on}} of university land, including several historical monuments and the university's golf course, to Mexico.<ref name="border">{{cite news |last1=Brezosky |first1=Lynn |title=Deal means border fence won't split UT-Brownsville campus |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Deal-means-border-fence-won-t-split-1756974.php |access-date=January 2, 2019 |work=Chron |date=July 31, 2008 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004736/https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Deal-means-border-fence-won-t-split-1756974.php |url-status=live}}</ref> The proposal was altered after [[Andrew Hanen]], a federal district judge, rejected the department's idea.<ref name="border"/>

====Border wall issue====
In 2016, Republican presidential candidate [[Donald Trump]] proposed building a border wall along the United States-Mexico border. Trump's proposed wall, if completed, would consist of {{convert|2,000|mi|abbr=on}} "of hardened [[concrete]], and ... [[rebar]], and [[steel]]" across the southern border, including Brownsville.<ref>Scott Bronstein, Curt Devine & Drew Griffin, [http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/politics/trump-border-wall/ Trump wants a wall. Border experts want a fence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517015104/https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/politics/trump-border-wall/ |date=May 17, 2019}}, [[CNN]] (February 16, 2017).</ref> On January 25, 2017, days after assuming office, Trump issued [[Executive Order 13767]], directing construction for the border wall. Brownsville was also the center of controversy surrounding the new administration's continuation of an Obama-era policy of housing immigrant children separate from adults (except for mothers) who entered the country unlawfully. The issue surrounded [[Casa Padre]], the largest [[Immigration detention in the United States|juvenile immigration detention center]] in America, which is located within Brownsville's city limits.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Michael E. |last2=Brown |first2=Emma |last3=Davis |first3=Aaron C. |title=Inside Casa Padre, the converted Walmart where the U.S. is holding nearly 1,500 immigrant children |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/inside-casa-padre-the-converted-walmart-where-the-us-is-holding-nearly-1500-immigrant-children/2018/06/14/0cd65ce4-6eba-11e8-bd50-b80389a4e569_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=June 17, 2018 |date=June 14, 2018 |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206172445/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/inside-casa-padre-the-converted-walmart-where-the-us-is-holding-nearly-1500-immigrant-children/2018/06/14/0cd65ce4-6eba-11e8-bd50-b80389a4e569_story.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Revitalization====
Downtown Brownsville has received several revitalization projects from the city government to increase tourism and safety.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sealey |first1=Stephen |title=City of Brownsville revitalizing downtown area |url=https://valleycentral.com/news/local/city-of-brownsville-revitalizing-downtown-area |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=Valley Central |date=October 17, 2018 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106153343/https://valleycentral.com/news/local/city-of-brownsville-revitalizing-downtown-area |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Texas Historical Commission]] named Brownsville as part of its Main Street Program in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Derick |title=City's Downtown Revitalization Sees First Milestone |url=https://www.kveo.com/news/local-news/citys-downtown-revitalization-sees-first-milestone/536690797 |access-date=January 6, 2019 |publisher=[[KVEO-TV]] |date=August 18, 2016 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204456/https://www.kveo.com/news/local-news/citys-downtown-revitalization-sees-first-milestone/536690797 |url-status=live}}</ref> Several historic buildings were restored, including the Stegman Building, a historic building named after Baldwin G. Stegman, one of the city's first [[streetcar]] line developers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Contreras |first1=Kaila |title=Renovations helped refresh downtown Brownsville |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/renovations-helped-refresh-downtown-brownsville/article_033116b6-edd2-11e7-9b24-4f7bb55a465a.html |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=December 30, 2017 |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231052105/http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/renovations-helped-refresh-downtown-brownsville/article_033116b6-edd2-11e7-9b24-4f7bb55a465a.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) selected Brownsville as one of six cities for their "Greening America's Communities" program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greening America's Communities |url=https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-04/documents/17_12_11_epa_final_report_brownsville.pdf |website=[[Environmental Protection Agency]] |access-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204258/https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-04/documents/17_12_11_epa_final_report_brownsville.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The agency worked on a revitalization project for Market Square, a building constructed in 1850.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Steve |title=Restoration of Market Square bell tower complete |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/business/restoration-of-market-square-bell-tower-complete/article_1dd69284-7eb0-11e7-89f4-0bbfe555b03a.html |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=August 5, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> The city also received a $3.4&nbsp;million grant from the Façade Improvement Program for this project.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sealey |first1=Stephen |title=Brownsville plans to revitalize its downtown district with $3.4 million budget |url=https://valleycentral.com/news/local/brownsville-plans-to-revitalize-its-downtown-district-with-34-million-budget |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=Valley Central |date=May 9, 2017 |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106153402/https://valleycentral.com/news/local/brownsville-plans-to-revitalize-its-downtown-district-with-34-million-budget |url-status=live}}</ref>