Border lawmakers seek to undo bill's call for solid fence
READcomments (33)
Web Posted: 07/18/2009 12:00 CDT
By Gary Martin - Express-News

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from states in the Southwest are urging the House leadership to block a proposal requiring construction of 700 miles of pedestrian fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The push to move the language in a Senate-passed bill comes as House and Senate legislators meet in conference committee to iron our differences in the two pieces of legislation. The House version has no such requirement.

House Democrats from Texas, Arizona and California contend that requiring a double-layered fence — instead of using vehicle barriers and cameras and sensors — “represents wasteful spending that could alternatively be used for multitude of valuable security purposes.â€