US presses ahead with border wall in court despite shutdown

HOUSTON (AP) — A government attorney in South Texas says that during the ongoing partial government shutdown, he only has been allowed to work on cases related to a proposed border wall.

The Texas Civil Rights Project released a transcript Thursday of a hearing in a case where the U.S. government has sued a local landowner for her property.

President Donald Trump triggered a shutdown by demanding for $5.7 billion to build a wall, and immigration authorities have said they want to start building in February.

According to the transcript, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez noted government attorneys working on border wall cases haven't been furloughed despite the shutdown.