Cornyn: Border areas must have input on fence

Houston Chronicle ^ | July 19, 2007 | MICHELLE MITTELSTADT

[Dubya]

WASHINGTON — Frustrated by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's decision to start construction of a controversial border fence in Texas this year, Sen. John Cornyn pledged today to fight any effort that proceeds without community input.

"I assure you there will be local consultation," the Texas Republican said in a call with state reporters. "There will not be ... unilateral actions on the part of the Department of Homeland Security without local input."

With border communities up in arms about the fencing, Cornyn is ramping up his criticism, saying he's very frustrated by what he termed the department's "ham-fisted" handling of a highly controversial matter.

"This could not be mishandled any worse, as far as I'm concerned," said Cornyn, who voted last year for legislation mandating the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing at the Southwest border but insisted that local leaders be consulted.

In an interview Wednesday with the Houston Chronicle, Chertoff said construction would begin by this fall. While Chertoff said communities would be consulted "in terms of style" of fencing, he reiterated what he's long said: "We can't give border communities a veto."

But Cornyn said the department has ignored its pledge of consultation, noting that Homeland Security officials prepared a map identifying 153 miles of fencing in Texas without talking to local elected officials. Department officials have repudiated the map, saying it was a preliminary plan meant only as a starting point for discussion.

"Now I read that Secretary Chertoff has said that construction will begin this year," Cornyn said. "But he won't say where."

[amihow]

Border dwellers are scared. They aren’t going to give honest input unless they can be anonymous.

[Redbob]

The RPOT called me asking for a contribution just a few minutes ago, citing particularly “our Senators’ championing opposition to the ‘Immigration Bill’” as a reason for supporting them.

But John Cornyn seems to flip-flop as badly as John Kerry on issues from the Ramos-Campean farce to immigration.

[gubamyster]

ping

[goalseven]

The locals, particularly in a city like Brownsville, Texas, do not want a fence because an extremely high percentage of them are illegal aliens or are the descendants of illegal aliens (anchor babies). All of the elected officials in the Rio Grande Valley are illegal alien sympathizers and unfortunately, they often exhibit the same cultural corruption that is commonly found in Mexico.
I have worked in Brownsville for many years and it’s no surprise that it is often referred to as “Northern Matamoros,” as in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

[Lancey Howard]

While Chertoff said communities would be consulted "in terms of style" of fencing, he reiterated what he's long said: "We can't give border communities a veto."

Obviously. Once people slip across the border they can go to Maine or Oregon or Pennsylvania or anywhere else.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Council on Foreign Relations member and friend of George Soros, John Cornyn, is going to do everything possible to keep a fence from being built on the border he wants erased.

[azhenfud]

Those objections should fall in the same catagory as those from environmentalists whose endless objections delaying the construction were overridden by the law.

[ovrtaxt]

They won’t build anything of any significance.

The North American Union is too important to these people. More important than Iraq, apparently...

[Perdogg]

I thought Cornyn was a Manchurian Candidate working for CISEN.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Demand a border fence! Build it NOW!! Beef up the border patrol and close our borders!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

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Republican National Committee
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phone: 202.863.8500 | fax: 202.863.8820 | e-mail: info@gop.com

Take a look at their hidden agenda: http://www.mexica-movement.org

[NewRomeTacitus]

Those objections should fall in the same category as those from environmentalists whose endless objections delaying the construction were overridden by the law.

How about all the sewage runoff from those renegade shanty side-towns (colonias) Texas and other border states abide? Attention CDC: round up the tubercular and such in those areas before they escape into the general population. Don't worry about looking like the bad guys in a Mexican comic book...those suits are impressive.