Bill Addington, right, sparked a response in Patrick Shea, a border fence supporter, after Addington declared Thursday night's forum at the Ambassador Ballroom "undemocratic." (Photo by Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)

Few comment at meeting on border fence
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/29/2008 12:29:08 AM MST

Officials from Customs and Border Protection and from the Army Corps of Engineers were on hand to answer questions and collect public comments at an East El Paso ballroom.

"We're still in the decision-making process," CBP spokesman Greg Gephart said.

But some at the sparsely attended event said they felt that the border fence would be built no matter what.

Justo Rivera, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in the Lower Valley, sported a T-shirt bearing the words "Keep the Great Wall in China."

"Why don't they clean the river and build up the levee instead of wasting my money on a wall? But are they going to listen to us? No way," he said

The plan calls for 56.7 miles of fence, including 21 miles of lights from Socorro to the Fabens port of entry; eight bridges across irrigation canals in El Paso and Hudspeth counties; and some road work.

The fence will be 15 to 18 feet high and possibly made of metallic mesh. Its positioning is not final and could depend on the fence's design. A fence anchored into the ground could be placed on the south side of the canal; a fence resting on the ground would go on top of the levee road, also south of the canal, according to government maps.

About 50 people from the No Border Wall Coalition protested outside. Inside, Veronica Martin, a Westsider and a student at El Paso Community College, said she liked the fence proposal.
"I think we need a wall. It'll provide Border Patrol agents with more protection," she said. "I feel like they are in just as much danger as soldiers overseas."

In South Texas, where opposition to border fencing has been widespread, landowners refused to give the government access to property, and the government filed suit against them.

Charles McGregor, environmental program manager for the Fort Worth district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said that for the El Paso area, most of the land belongs to the International Boundary and Water Commission or to local water districts. But McGregor said his engineers might need to go through private land to get to the river.

Construction has not started on the border fence in Texas. In El Paso, a consultant finished a draft environmental study and concluded that the fence would have no environmental or aesthetic impact because the river's edge has already been disturbed by canals and levees.

Socorro Mayor Trini Lopez shook his head as he looked at aerial maps displayed at the meeting.

"People in Socorro will be impacted by a 16-foot wall that will be obstructing a view to a beautiful part of Mexico and the sunsets that we are enjoying every day," he said.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com, 546-6131.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8402012