Texas Officials Critical of President’s Border Fence Plan

City officials in the Rio Grande Valley were very supportive of the idea of a border fence to protect the border in the heavily populated valley when it was first proposed by President Bush last May. The President called for 700 miles of fence to be built, and Congress approved his plan. Officials in the area where the fence is to be built were anticipating much of the fence to be composed of "virtual" fencing items such as surveillance cameras and increased border patrols.

But a new map showing the planned border fence has come under harsh criticism by valley officials, who say that the plans renege on assurances they were given that the Rio Grande River would still be accessible to farmers, wildlife, and recreation after the fence is constructed. The Customs and Border Protection map shows a physical fence stretching randomly along a line 600 miles long from Brownsville to Presidio. The plan includes 370 miles of fence and 200 miles of vehicle barriers, such as concrete barriers.

Mike Allen, head of McAllen Economic Development Corp., said that the proposed fence is going to seriously affect the farmers in the area. "We were given the impression that they were not going to be building walls, that there would be more cameras, surveillance, boots on the ground," Allen said. "Farmers will not have access to water. It’s just going to create bedlam."

Hidalgo County Judge J. D. Salinas told reporters that the proposed fence will seriously damage the regional economy, which has a solid basis in cross-border commerce. Salinas said that because Mexicans cross the border daily to buy real estate, shop, work, and conduct bank transactions, the ill will generated in Mexico by the fence will cause serious problems. "Irrigation, that’s one concern," Salinas said. "The other is the indirect message you’re sending to your neighbor to the south."

Environmentalists worry that the fence will block river water access to endangered species such as jaguars and ocelots, as well as destroying important feeding areas for migratory birds. According to Russ Knocke, a spokesman for Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, said that although environmental impact assessments are being conducted, the safety of the border security is a more important concern.

"For more than two decades this has been a problem that has been bubbling up," Knocke said. "There’s an expectation by the American people that we secure our borders." Knocke said that "virtual" fencing measures would be impossible to use in urban metropolitan areas where it is easier for an illegal alien to conceal themselves inside a home or business, and that traditional fencing must be used in those areas. In remote areas, however, agents would use equipment such as radar, sensors, and aerial drones.

Both senators from Texas said that they expect federal officials to pay attention to local concerns. "I would be very concerned if they are not being listened to," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. "We should have local input, and private property rights should be taken into account." Sen. John Cornyn echoed Hutchinson’s views that local officials, property owners, and stakeholders should "have a voice in how we ultimately secure the border."

McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez told reporters that he has serious doubts about the effectiveness of a border fence anyway, saying that he has seen people jumping off international bridges into the United States in broad daylight in full view of border patrol agents. "No physical wall is going to keep people from coming in," Cortez said. "The core of the problem is an economic issue. We have integrated all of the markets in North America, but we have failed to integrate the labor market. It's the market forces that are bringing people here to work."