It was bound to happen: Spanish-language network Azteca America is making a show about a controversial president and a wall

Spanish-language TV network Azteca America has announced its first-ever original scripted series produced in the U.S. — and it’s about a controversial U.S. president who decides to build a wall to separate his country from its neighbor.

How’s that for ripped-from-the-headlines?

The network, a subsidiary of Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca, expected to make the announcement Wednesday night in New York as part of the annual TV advertising sales auction known as the upfront.

“El Muro” (“The Wall”) is set on the border between Arizona and Mexico, and follows the decision of a fictional president to build the wall to separate his country from outsiders. And he decides the best way to build the wall is from the Mexican side because the labor is cheaper.

Also woven into the series is a love story between an undocumented immigrant and an immigration officer in charge of her deportation.

“El Muro” comes as President Donald Trump’s campaign-long pledge to erect a “big, beautiful wall” to seal the U.S. border with Mexico inches closer to becoming a reality. While that barrier has yet to be funded, proposals by builders have been submitted.

“This ripped-from-the-headlines timely series will not only entertain, but also tap into issues that are of extreme interest to our audience,” Manuel Abud, president and CEO of Azteca America, said in a statement.

The drama marks the first time a show will be produced exclusively for Azteca America in the U.S. The network’s programming is largely made in Mexico and supplied by TV Azteca.

Azteca America, which is among the smaller TV players targeting the ever-growing Latino demographic, is available in Los Angeles on KAZA-TV Channel 54.

Casting of both Spanish- and English-speaking actors will be announced soon, according to the network.

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yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com

Twitter: @villarrealy