Border congressmen strategize on how to stop border wall

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

By Steve Taylor


Congressman Solomon Ortiz speaks at an appreciation dinner at South Padre Island Convention Center. The dinner was held to mark his 25 years of service in the U.S. House. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)


SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, June 22 - Border congressmen and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are looking into ways of de-funding the Department of Homeland Security so it cannot continue constructing a border wall.


Opponents of the border wall in Congress are not sure if they can succeed with this strategy but they have not given up hope of putting sufficient congressional hurdles in place so that the project is delayed until after the November presidential election.


Border congressmen say that because Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff waived more than 30 laws and regulations in order to speed up construction of the border wall, the project should be put on hold until the next administration takes office in January.


“We are doing everything we can to stop any fencing going up,â€