More than 100 Laredo activists turned out last weekend to protest the border wall, but instead of bullhorns and placards, they came with rollers and an ocean of yellow paint.

When they finished on Sunday afternoon, a huge street mural reading “Defund the Wall” covered almost a block of Victoria Street in front of the federal building.

With letters measuring 30 feet wide — equal to the height of the proposed wall — the bright yellow street art sent a highly visible message.

“This is a defining moment for us. It’s where we take a stand for Laredo and the entire border against this type of tyrannical action,” said Tricia Cortez of the No Border War Coalition. “We are going to push back. There is too much at stake.”

The symbolic public act was inspired by street murals in other cities to protest racial injustice.

It came with the backing of the Laredo City Council, which in July voted unanimously in favor of the project, with costs borne by the coalition.

It is aimed at the Trump administration’s plan to build 31 miles of steel bollard fencing in Webb County, including parts of south Laredo, surrounded by a 150-foot wide “security enforcement zone.”

Numerous public officials, from members of the City Council and county commission to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, have spoken out forcefully against the wall.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, described it as “nothing more than a vile and divisive affront to our community.”

Two weeks ago, a $290 million federal contract to build the second 17-mile portion of the Laredo wall was awarded to Fisher Industries. Earlier, the North Dakota firm had won a $275 million federal contract to build 14 miles of wall in the county.

All told, the Department of Homeland Security hopes to build 69 miles of border wall in Zapata and Webb counties.

According to the coalition, the wall will cost almost $20 million per mile.

“For the cost of a single mile of the wall, Laredo could afford to build and operate a new trauma center for three years, rather than airlift people to nearby cities for emergency treatment; one mile could provide full tuition for an associates degree at Laredo College for all graduating Laredo seniors for the next 10 years,” the coalition said in a press release.

“The wall is not a done deal: the administration is trying to rush to make it happen before the election for obvious political reasons, but it didn’t expect so much resistance,” said Maxine Rebeles, a military veteran and public school teacher, in the press release.

Cortez said the street mural will stay on Victoria Street until the battle over the wall is won.

“We’ve committed to the city to maintain it until the wall project is over, and then we will joyously paint over it and return the street to its original condition,” she said.

More than 100 Laredo activists turned out last weekend to protest the border wall, but instead of bullhorns and placards, they came with rollers and an ocean of yellow paint.

When they finished on Sunday afternoon, a huge street mural reading “Defund the Wall” covered almost a block of Victoria Street in front of the federal building.

With letters measuring 30 feet wide — equal to the height of the proposed wall — the bright yellow street art sent a highly visible message.

“This is a defining moment for us. It’s where we take a stand for Laredo and the entire border against this type of tyrannical action,” said Tricia Cortez of the No Border War Coalition. “We are going to push back. There is too much at stake.”

The symbolic public act was inspired by street murals in other cities to protest racial injustice.

It came with the backing of the Laredo City Council, which in July voted unanimously in favor of the project, with costs borne by the coalition.

It is aimed at the Trump administration’s plan to build 31 miles of steel bollard fencing in Webb County, including parts of south Laredo, surrounded by a 150-foot wide “security enforcement zone.”

Numerous public officials, from members of the City Council and county commission to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, have spoken out forcefully against the wall.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, described it as “nothing more than a vile and divisive affront to our community.”

Two weeks ago, a $290 million federal contract to build the second 17-mile portion of the Laredo wall was awarded to Fisher Industries. Earlier, the North Dakota firm had won a $275 million federal contract to build 14 miles of wall in the county.

All told, the Department of Homeland Security hopes to build 69 miles of border wall in Zapata and Webb counties.

According to the coalition, the wall will cost almost $20 million per mile.

“For the cost of a single mile of the wall, Laredo could afford to build and operate a new trauma center for three years, rather than airlift people to nearby cities for emergency treatment; one mile could provide full tuition for an associates degree at Laredo College for all graduating Laredo seniors for the next 10 years,” the coalition said in a press release.

“The wall is not a done deal: the administration is trying to rush to make it happen before the election for obvious political reasons, but it didn’t expect so much resistance,” said Maxine Rebeles, a military veteran and public school teacher, in the press release.

Cortez said the street mural will stay on Victoria Street until the battle over the wall is won.

“We’ve committed to the city to maintain it until the wall project is over, and then we will joyously paint over it and return the street to its original condition,” she said.

More than 100 Laredo activists turned out last weekend to protest the border wall, but instead of bullhorns and placards, they came with rollers and an ocean of yellow paint.

When they finished on Sunday afternoon, a huge street mural reading “Defund the Wall” covered almost a block of Victoria Street in front of the federal building.

With letters measuring 30 feet wide — equal to the height of the proposed wall — the bright yellow street art sent a highly visible message.

“This is a defining moment for us. It’s where we take a stand for Laredo and the entire border against this type of tyrannical action,” said Tricia Cortez of the No Border War Coalition. “We are going to push back. There is too much at stake.”

The symbolic public act was inspired by street murals in other cities to protest racial injustice.

It came with the backing of the Laredo City Council, which in July voted unanimously in favor of the project, with costs borne by the coalition.

It is aimed at the Trump administration’s plan to build 31 miles of steel bollard fencing in Webb County, including parts of south Laredo, surrounded by a 150-foot wide “security enforcement zone.”

Numerous public officials, from members of the City Council and county commission to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, have spoken out forcefully against the wall.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, described it as “nothing more than a vile and divisive affront to our community.”

Two weeks ago, a $290 million federal contract to build the second 17-mile portion of the Laredo wall was awarded to Fisher Industries. Earlier, the North Dakota firm had won a $275 million federal contract to build 14 miles of wall in the county.

All told, the Department of Homeland Security hopes to build 69 miles of border wall in Zapata and Webb counties.

According to the coalition, the wall will cost almost $20 million per mile.

“For the cost of a single mile of the wall, Laredo could afford to build and operate a new trauma center for three years, rather than airlift people to nearby cities for emergency treatment; one mile could provide full tuition for an associates degree at Laredo College for all graduating Laredo seniors for the next 10 years,” the coalition said in a press release.

“The wall is not a done deal: the administration is trying to rush to make it happen before the election for obvious political reasons, but it didn’t expect so much resistance,” said Maxine Rebeles, a military veteran and public school teacher, in the press release.

Cortez said the street mural will stay on Victoria Street until the battle over the wall is won.

“We’ve committed to the city to maintain it until the wall project is over, and then we will joyously paint over it and return the street to its original condition,” she said.

More than 100 Laredo activists turned out last weekend to protest the border wall, but instead of bullhorns and placards, they came with rollers and an ocean of yellow paint.

When they finished on Sunday afternoon, a huge street mural reading “Defund the Wall” covered almost a block of Victoria Street in front of the federal building.

With letters measuring 30 feet wide — equal to the height of the proposed wall — the bright yellow street art sent a highly visible message.

“This is a defining moment for us. It’s where we take a stand for Laredo and the entire border against this type of tyrannical action,” said Tricia Cortez of the No Border War Coalition. “We are going to push back. There is too much at stake.”

The symbolic public act was inspired by street murals in other cities to protest racial injustice.

It came with the backing of the Laredo City Council, which in July voted unanimously in favor of the project, with costs borne by the coalition.

It is aimed at the Trump administration’s plan to build 31 miles of steel bollard fencing in Webb County, including parts of south Laredo, surrounded by a 150-foot wide “security enforcement zone.”

Numerous public officials, from members of the City Council and county commission to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, have spoken out forcefully against the wall.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, described it as “nothing more than a vile and divisive affront to our community.”

Two weeks ago, a $290 million federal contract to build the second 17-mile portion of the Laredo wall was awarded to Fisher Industries. Earlier, the North Dakota firm had won a $275 million federal contract to build 14 miles of wall in the county.

All told, the Department of Homeland Security hopes to build 69 miles of border wall in Zapata and Webb counties.

According to the coalition, the wall will cost almost $20 million per mile.

“For the cost of a single mile of the wall, Laredo could afford to build and operate a new trauma center for three years, rather than airlift people to nearby cities for emergency treatment; one mile could provide full tuition for an associates degree at Laredo College for all graduating Laredo seniors for the next 10 years,” the coalition said in a press release.

“The wall is not a done deal: the administration is trying to rush to make it happen before the election for obvious political reasons, but it didn’t expect so much resistance,” said Maxine Rebeles, a military veteran and public school teacher, in the press release.

Cortez said the street mural will stay on Victoria Street until the battle over the wall is won.

“We’ve committed to the city to maintain it until the wall project is over, and then we will joyously paint over it and return the street to its original condition,” she said.