Border insecurity alert 99,999: Holes in the wall
The Texas Observer is a left-leaning publication with a pro-amnesty bent, but this piece on the politics of the border fence gives some useful insight into the DHS decision-making process on where and why there are so many holes in the wall.
An excerpt:
Most border residents couldn’t believe the fence would ever be built through their homes and communities. They expected it to run along the banks of the Rio Grande, not north of the flood levees—in some cases like Tamez’s, as far as a mile north of the river. So it came as a shock last summer when residents were approached by uniformed Border Patrol agents. They asked people to sign waivers allowing Homeland Security to survey their properties for construction of the wall. When they declined, Homeland Security filed condemnation suits.
In time, local landowners realized that the fence’s location had everything to do with politics and private profit, and nothing to do with stopping illegal immigration.
In 2006, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act, authored by Republican Congressman Peter King from New York. The legislation mandated that 700 miles of double-fencing be built along the southern border from California to Texas. The bill detailed where the fencing, or, as many people along the border call it, “the wall,” would be built. After a year of inflamed rhetoric about the plague of illegal immigration and Congress’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the bill passed with overwhelming support from Republicans and a few Democrats. All the Texas border members of the U.S. House of Representatives, except San Antonio Republican Henry Bonilla, voted against it. Texas Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn voted for the bill.
On August 10, 2007, Chertoff announced his agency would scale back the initial 700 miles of fencing to 370 miles, to be built in segments across the southern border. Chertoff cited budget shortages and technological difficulties as justifications for not complying with the bill.
How did his agency decide where to build the segments? Chad Foster, the mayor of Eagle Pass, says he thought it was a simple enough question and that the answer would be based on data and facts. Foster chairs the Texas Border Coalition. TBC, as Foster calls it, is a group of border mayors and business leaders who have repeatedly traveled to Washington for the past 18 months to try to get federal officials to listen to them.
Foster says he has never received any logical answers from Homeland Security as to why certain areas in his city had been targeted for fencing over other areas. “I puzzled a while over why the fence would bypass the industrial park and go through the city park,” he says.
Despite terse meetings with Chertoff, Foster and other coalition members say the conversation has been one-sided.
“I think we have a government within a government,” Foster says. “[This is] a tremendous bureaucracy—DHS is just a monster.”
The Observer called Homeland Security in Washington to find out how it had decided where to build the fence. The voice mail system sputtered through a dizzying array of acronyms: DOJ, USACE, CBP, and USCIS. On the second call a media spokesperson with a weary voice directed queries to Michael Friel, the fence spokesman for Customs and Border Protection. Six calls and two e-mails later, Friel responded with a curt e-mail: “Got your message. Working on answers…” it said. Days passed, and Friel’s answers never came.
Since Homeland Security wasn’t providing answers, perhaps Congress would. Phone conversations with congressional offices ranged from “but they aren’t even building a wall” to “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”
But, hey, no matter. We’re going to fork over $1.4 billion to Mexico so they can build a fence on their southern border.
No worries!
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Even the far left nut Rahm Emanual has told members in the democrat party that they better start moving right on the immigration issue.
Why has McCain never been asked about Juan Hernandez?
The fence is a start but not the real answer. We must have stronger workplace enforcement, this should dry up the need for the invasion of slave labor.
Speaking of slave labor, didn’t we learn anything from the cost of slavery to this country?
This government has no intentions of ever building a fence. They stall, thinking the American citizens will just go away and forget about it. We sure don’t want to chap Calderon now do we?
L.
Well, heck. Our government is building a fence for the people to deter illegal immigration along the Southern border…, the people of Mexico on their Souther border. Idiots.
As long as Mexican activists, reconquista seditionits, and a lack of leadership from our government. We will continue to support and have to put up with ILLEGAL ALIENS in this country.
Our government of the people, by the people , and for the people is vastly dissapearing from site.
Politicians listening to special interest groups and activists like Navarro, Hernandez, and Cair type organizations. Of which there are plenty of the spanish persuassion. We the People loose.
Like many construction projects via the government, it all boils down to “politics and profits.” Politicians are scrambling to feather their own beds with “deals” from campaign contributors. The whole border problem has become a joke…a very bad joke.
As we know, the U.S. constitution means nothing to most of our elected cockroaches.
Article 4 of the US Constitution guaranteeing all states protection from armed, semi-armed, and unarmed invasion is being ignored.
Article 11 of the US Constitution granting Congress the power to set uniform immigration laws is being ignored.
One would think that a border fence would be built…ON THE BORDER!
How on Earth does anyone justify a decision that essentially cedes a portion of the US border area by moving the fence well into US territory?
It seems that the only logical explanation for such a boneheaded move would be to generate public resistance to the fence. While no one would certainly object to a fence along the border, people are going to have a problem with the fence going through their bedrooms. And that would provide DHS with the excuse that public opposition was hampering their efforts to comply with the law.
Hell, while they’re at it, why not just move the fence back to say, Washington DC? So what if its a little further back from the border.
My cousin and his family are losing their home. They think it is worth it to have the
fence, at least where they live, to keep illegals out of their front yard. And…as I
said previously, his wife wanted a new house in a different place on their property.
It always boils down to, with the majority of the people in this country, obey the
laws as long as they aren’t inconvenient. After all, being an American means never
having to be “put out” or inconvenienced.
I once worked with a woman who freely admitted to running a redlight, day after day
on her way to work. She said that if she stopped for the light, she would be late to
work. When I suggested she leave home earlier, she looked at me like I had three eyes. She could not believe that I wanted her to wake up 10 minutes early!! Several people in the office agreed with her. As I said, only when it is convenient and this is what is going on on the border ( besides the
obvious money and political sops.)
Sorry about the “strong” button. Little dog helping again.
Oh well, don’t worry, be happy, Bambi will fix it all for us. He will make us all one big happy family. How do you say Kumbya in Spanish?
President Eisenhowers kahonas should be dug up and placed on someone who can actually get this job done, because it won’t with the ones running the bureaucratic behemoth we call DHS or apparently anyone else in Washington. But I just must be a bigot and racist. NOT
*Sharia creep.
*Possible next first lady has never been proud of America.
*Aliens have more rights[@] than most legal citizens. ([@]as do some war-time captive terrorist combatants)
*Losing territory on already porous border to another country.
*Nearly 10% of US population could be ILLEGAL.
*Laws that are ignored.(including DHS)
*Terrorist linked organizations seemingly ubiquitous INSIDE our country.
*Hate America first has a real following again, INSIDE our country.
*A Presidential candidate refuses to salute/honor the U.S. flag and ALL it stands for.
*Being a Christian is almost illegal, yet muslims have foot baths in airports.
*(*)
Does anyone else fear, really FEAR, what the U.S. of A. will look like in just 15 to 20 years?
For the first time in my adult life I am terrified for my families long time future in my own country.
{(*)I wont go on, not enough time, or space}
A perfect warning against voting for anyone who’s promising more services from an already giant government.
More government, less service, more cost, a lot more cost.
More government, less freedom, less morals, less dignity.
Jim M., #7 - took the words from my mouth. This is nothing but a political ploy designed to build something alright… and it’s not the fence.
Maybe the plan is to get Mexico to build a fence on their southern border, then make Mexico the 51st state of America. Voila! one complete border fence on the US southern border! No worries about illegals as they’d all be Americans, and no more Mexico first as there’d be no Mexico (as a country), it’d just be another state.
How’s that for a conspiracy theory?
Bienestar?
They (the Federal Gov’t) cannot even answer a simple question concerning something within the survey of the location of a fence. I can’t wait until a National Health Care system tries to determine whether an X-Ray is needed or not.
Any chance Mcain will make Mitt DHS Sec?
Ron Paul is looking better all the time.
That’s one time I will support failure. It should read, “the patriots of the United States of America were victorious in defeating (fill in the blank with your own colorful word) congress.”
Reason number 783 why we need to vote every member of congress out of office and start from scratch. Our government no longer listens to the people, only to the special interest groups who grease their sweaty palms. They behave like spoiled children determined to get their own way. They are parasites who view the American people only as a source of tax money. Just like ticks, some are imbeded deep and will be hard to remove but try we must. Our nations future depends on it.
There won’t be enough fence EVER built to keep out the onslaught of reconquista. The DC elite have no intention of making an effort to stem the flow, and it will deteriorate to vigilant citizens taking up the call.
The aspect of atrition by enforcing the law - proven to work in a few states already - is great, but they don’t really care for that either.
Forget the fence,……..no real plans to build it. You CAN count on them building the Trans-Texas Nafta Corridor though. That will take over 4,000 miles by eminent domain through the heart of Texas to benefit Mexican trucks and chinese imports. Hearings this week were flooded with residents opposed to it but the government says the citizens don’t have to approve it to go ahead. You can bet they will make sure this gets built long before any fence ever gets built. After that and open borders President , the fence will be a moot point. Those of you who ridicule those who’ve warned of the North American Union ought to talk to those Texans that see their state being raped for corporate profits. This is their country…not ours.
On February 21st, 2008 at 10:50 am, Jim M. # 7 said:
One would think that a border fence would be built…ON THE BORDER!
How on Earth does anyone justify a decision that essentially cedes a portion of the US border area by moving the fence well into US territory?
Jim, this is what I mean when i say they act like spoiled kids. My state and local government does this same thing. Every time there is a budget short fall, the first thing they propose cutting is essentials like police, fire & EMS, programs for the elderly or handicapped, and never the wasteful programs like a to the Amazon to study wildlife. Because they know that if vital porjects are cut we will give in and let them raise our taxes.
It’s the same thing with the fence, if they turn the whole project into a mess then we say just forget it.
Haven’t taken the time to read the comments, but listening to WOAI out of San Antonio this morning on the way to school to sub, I hear that the fence will not be built along some country club golf course in Brownsville… When that creates a funnel for the illegals to go through the country club grounds, I bet they (the CC) may begin to regret that…
Yanno, I came across an article today that was written in July 2002. In it, you’ll see pretty much what’s been in play for quite some time as we are currently living amidst exactly what was laid out in the article. My question is, how on earth can we reverse this? How do you go up against so many leaders in Congress who have sold out their own fellow Americans? (Comments truly appreciated.)
http://tinyurl.com/2swrs6
WOW Bananny. That’s hard to believe but it’s backed up. when will Washington wake up and realize we are losing this nation city by city?
Thanks for reading it! See? That’s what I mean; how CAN we reverse this travesty? It’s all happening right before our eyes as laid out in the article.
~Sigh~
I read where 60 % of America is conservative in regards to the national interests, security and religion. How is it we now will have the option of voting for 1 of 2 Marxist’s or another liberal in the mold of the Bush’s for the presidency?
I’ve been non-religious for 50 plus yrs, i’m 62 now…and everyday it gets closer to Nov. 2nd i get more and more religious. Lord help us!
Amazingly, according to some polls Bush still has a popularity rating of 19%. Are there that many Hispanics in the U.S.?
You’re right Miss Ladybug. When they start trashing the grounds of these high class
establishments like they do the rest of the TX border, perhaps the money people
that think illegals are just everyone else’s problem, then and only then we may start
to see more results. As long as “they” and the politicians live above the problem, we
will never see any real results.
boo freakin’ hooo I’m sick of stories like this.
John Ansell#26–Washington will wake up only when the people of this country throw ALL of the career politicians OUT.
bananny–that is how we reverse it.Vote NO incumbents back into office.
Left,Right,republican,Democrat,conservative,liberal,good or bad–NO MORE INCUMBENTS.
As I’ve said before,the only vote that they care about is the vote against them.Keeping a job doesn’t scare anyone,losing a job does.Let’s all get together and show these lazy,backstabbing bas****s what it is like to be unemployed.Then let’s do it again next time.
I agree Blues, And I’ve refuse to send the RNC any money this go around. Talk about making them cry. And they call and ask why I’m not donating I simply tell them that it’s over illegal aliens and their support for giving them amnesty. My wife was born in Taiwan but she came here legally, took the needed steps to become a citizen and loves this country extremely. That was all prior to our getting married. Everytime I hear this amnesty push, I think the politicos are directly smacking her in her face.
Incumbents need not apply.
I’m not donating to any political party again in the foreseeable future and I’m using the monies I would have donated and my Chinese “tax rebate” to buy myself and my fiancee more guns and ammunition in case we have to defend ourselves against the threat the gov’t refuses to stop. Provide for the common defense. How the heck hard is that? Constitution? They don’t need no stinkin’ Constitution.
Right on Shooter! The stupidity of this country will never cease to amaze me. We have become so complacent and TOLERANT that we are going to tolerate our representatives giving this country away to mexico and china!!!
Jim M. said:
Ooo, I foresee the setting of an “Escape from D.C.” movie where Snake Plissken has to go in and rescue…, well, come to think of it, nobody in D.C. is worth rescuing.