Part of the fence between Mexico and the US
FRONT PAGE
SiteSearch
About us
Directories
US-Mexican border fence
US cities and illegal immigrants
Failed US immigration reform
US election 08: Urban issues
Urban crime 2007
US migration
Los Angeles migration
City Mayors reports news from towns and cities around the world. Worldwide | Elections | North America | Latin America | Europe | Asia | Africa | Events |
Mayors from The Americas, Europe. Asia, Australia and Africa are competing for the annual World Mayor Award. More
City Mayors ranks the world’s largest as well as richest cities and urban areas. It also ranks the cities in individual countries, and provides a list of the capital cities of some 200 sovereign countries. More
City Mayors reports political events, analyses the issues and depicts the main players. More
City Mayors describes and explains the structures and workings of local government in Europe, The Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa. More
City Mayors profiles city leaders from around the world and questions them about their achievements, policies and aims. More
City Mayors deals with economic and investment issues affecting towns and cities. More
City Mayors reports on how business developments impact on cities and examines cooperation between cities and the private sector. More
City Mayors describes and explains financial issues affecting local government. More
City Mayors lists and features urban events, conferences and conventions aimed at urban decision makers and those with an interst in cities worldwide. More
City Mayors reports urban environmental developments and examines the challenges faced by cities worldwide. More
City Mayors reports on and discusses urban development issues in developed and developing countries. More
City Mayors reports on developments in urban society and behaviour and reviews relevant research. More
City Mayors deals with urban transport issues in developed and developing countries and features the world’s greatest metro systems. More
City Mayors examines education issues and policies affecting children and adults in urban areas. More
City Mayors investigates health issues affecting urban areas with an emphasis on health in cities in developing countries. More
City Mayors examines the importance of urban tourism to city economies. More
City Mayors examines the contributions history and culture make to urban society and environment. More
City Mayors describes the history, architecture and politics of the greatest city halls in the world. More
City Mayors invites readers to write short stories about people in cities around the world. More
City Mayors questions those who govern the world’s cities and talks to men and women who contribute to urban society and environment. More
City Mayors profiles national and international organisations representing cities as well as those dealing with urban issues. More
City Mayors reports on major national and international sporting events and their impact on cities. More
City Mayors lists cities and city organisations, profiles individual mayors and provides information on hundreds of urban events. More
Texan mayors want
to stop border fence
By Greg Flakus, VoA
17 October 2007: Mayors of several Texas towns on or near the US border with Mexico have filed legal actions to stop the federal government from building a planned security fence to deter illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. Both Mexico's current president and former president are also weighing in against the fence. Mayors and city councils all along the Rio Grande river, which forms the border with Mexico, are banding together in an effort to stop construction of the fence.Add you comment and observations
Patricio Ahumade Junior, the mayor of Brownsville, Texas, just across the Rio Grande river from Matamoros, Mexico, said he would deny federal surveyors access to city land to plot locations for the fence. He has also filed suit on behalf of the city to stop construction of the fence. Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas has called the planned fence a wall of shame and Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster continues to oppose the fence even though he says he has received hate mail.
The mayors have found support from environmental groups who argue that the fence would disrupt the natural migration of wildlife in the Rio Grande river valley. Most business leaders in border towns also oppose the plan, saying it would create bad feelings with Mexico, a country on which they rely for most of their commerce.
In an unusual move, critics of the fence plan have been joined by both Mexico's current president, Felipe Calderon and former President Vicente Fox, both of whom have appeared on US television news programs criticizing the planned fence.
President Calderon appeared on ABC TV's Good Morning, America program. He said the flow of workers from his country to the United States is natural, given the demand for lower cost labor in the United States and the ready supply of young workers willing to migrate from Mexico. "It is impossible to stop that by decree, it is impossible to stop that with a fence," he said.
While acknowledging the right of the United States to control its border, the Mexican president said the proposed fence is not the solution to the immigration problem. He said the ultimate solution is for Mexico to keep these hardworking laborers at home by providing them with good jobs there. "I do not want to see Mexico as a permanent provider of workers to the United States," said President Calderon.
Former President Fox has appeared on numerous programs calling the fence a mistake that would harm bilateral relations. He argues that the best way to deal with the immigration problem is a guest worker program.
According to plans disclosed by the federal government late last month, the fence in Texas would cover 112 kilometers in 21 segments and stand nearly five meters high. Those in favor of the fence say it would demonstrate US resolve to protect the border from smugglers, illegal immigrants and possible terrorists. Among the strongest backers of the plan are ranchers who own property on the border. They say illegal border crossers disrupt their work, damage their property and sometimes threaten their safety.
The US Congress approved the fence project in 2006, and it was signed into law by President Bush. The fence would extend 1,120 kilometers along the entire US-Mexican border, but not all of it would be an actual barrier. Nearly half would be a so-called ‘virtual fence’ utilizing high technology sensors and cameras as well as special deployments of Border Patrol agents.
Comment & Debate
City Mayors is inviting its readers to engage in a debate on the issues raised in the article on this page. Please post your comments below. Your comments should deal with the topics of this article and must be legal and ethical. You may also reply to and/or challenge comments of other readers. While we endeavour to publish all relevant comments, we reserve the right to edit them and to reject unsuitable contributions.
Please add your comment
Brownville, Texas, where the local mayor wants to stop the border fence
On other pages
US cities offer very different ways of dealing with illegal immigration
Illegal Immigration has become one of the United States’ most difficult social and economic problems. More than 12 million ‘undocumented immigrants’ – mostly from Mexico – are now estimated to be in the US. American cities have been dealing with this reality for years.
For decades, migration between the US and Mexico was a non-issue. Many state and local economies, especially in the American Southwest, depend on the low-cost labor provided by Mexican migrant workers. Americans overlooked the migrants’ lack of documentation to certify their legal entry into the US. It was a policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” American employers didn’t ask to see the official papers required for legal employment, and American authorities didn’t enforce violations of immigration laws.
The number of illegal immigrants entering the US expanded dramatically after implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994. The Agreement eliminated many of the tariffs, duties, and other trade barriers between the US, Mexico, and Canada. The Agreement also dislocated millions of Mexican farmers and industrial workers who moved north to the US for employment opportunities. At the same time, American workers were feeling less secure about their jobs. Tensions began to rise between many Americans and migrant workers, and illegal immigration began to receive heightened scrutiny from the media and lawmakers in the US. More