Thread: Border fence lawsuit will be heard in federal court in El Pa

Border fence lawsuit will be heard in federal court in El Paso
By Diana Washington-Valdez / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 07/15/2008 01:50:26 PM MDT


The legal showdown between opponents and advocates of the U.S. border fence will take place at El Paso's federal courthouse, El Paso County Commissioner Veronica Escobar said Tuesday.
"A court date has not been set yet, but the decision has been made to hear the case in El Paso in U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo's court," said Escobar, one of four panelists who spoke at a UTEP forum about the effects of the fence on the border community.

Several government entities and organizations, including the city and county, had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after Congress gave DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff the authority to waive more than 30 laws to build 670 miles of fence along the border this year.

The groups argued the waivers violated the U.S. constitutional separation of powers between the administrative and legislative branches of government.

In addition to Escobar, other panelists for the forum organized by the Center for Civic Engagement included Fernando Garcia, director of the Border Network for Human Rights, Victor Manjarrez Jr., El Paso Sector Chief for the U.S. Border Patrol, and a representative from the UTEP Center for Environmental Resource Management.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_9888569

I think the Supreme Court just decided not to hear a case on this which allowed DHS to continue. This may be another case that will go up the ladder.