DHS consultations set along fence route

February 9, 2009 - 9:16 PM
By KEVIN SIEFF/The Brownsville Herald
BROWNSVILLE - Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will hold on-the-ground consultations Friday along the route of the border fence, according to the Texas Border Coalition.

The event, called "Walk the Line," is a long awaited collaboration between DHS and TBC, promising to offer border politicians and business owners a better understanding of the fence's proposed footprint.

"As local officials, we're happy that we will finally be able to examine where the wall is being built and gain the information we've been seeking for more than a year," said Chad Foster, TBC chairman and mayor of Eagle Pass.

Despite the hopes of local landowners, Walk the Line will not be open to landowners currently involved in border fence-related litigation.

"DHS refused to walk the line if TBC invited property owners to attend," according to a TBC press release. "In order to gain an understanding of where the federal government intends to build the wall, TBC officials agreed not to issue such invitations."

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, but DHS has not yet announced the exact locations, Hillrichs said.

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/t ... fence.html