Homeland Security officials host 'Open House,' unveil border fences

January 25, 2008
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

A small crowd of about 20 Del Rioans and area residents showed up, Thursday afternoon (Jan. 24), to join at least that many federal employees and contractors who came to the Del Rio Civic Center to display and discuss plans for border fencing.

The measures, including about 2.2 miles of fence in Del Rio and 1.9 miles in Eagle Pass, were revealed three weeks ago in a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) of tactical infrastructure for the Del Rio Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. On hand to welcome the modest crowd was Loren W. Flossman, program manager, Tactical Infrastructure Program, Secure Border Initiative. He was accompanied by a bevy of contract employees who worked on the EA project and U.S. Border Patrol agents. Flossman’s brief 5 p.m. address informed attendees that “Customs and Border Protection is still in the process of decision making” about the draft.

In other words, the EA is a draft, and will not be considered a “final” decision until public comments and any other input are provided and analyzed. Comments from the public conclude on February 5, and a copy of the EA may be viewed at the Val Verde County Library, 300 Spring St., along with instructions on how to submit comments. The “open house” at the Civic Center was that first opportunity.

Recent news reports have created a widely publicized image of the wall being crammed down the throats of communities that resist the federal juggernaut to build a border wall. On Monday (Jan. 14), Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster agreed to discuss the situation with LIVE! when an appointment could be mutually agreed upon. Later that day, according to Associated Press stories, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, San Antonio, filed a lawsuit against the City of Eagle Pass, demanding access to the land where a fence may be built. “We’ve never denied any federal entity access to city land,” said Foster.

Foster met with Randy Hill, chief patrol agent, Del Rio Sector, U.S. Border Patrol, at the Civic Center “open house” Thursday to express his continuing concerns. Hill reassured Foster of the importance of the fence proposed in the heart of Eagle Pass. “What this fence does is give me time to respond and apprehend,” said Hill.

Hill explained later that the EA proposals for modest stretches of “tactical fencing” in Eagle Pass and Del Rio are to retard illegal entries in which runners can quickly disappear into urban streets and dwellings. Hill said he needs time for agents to respond, and time is far less important in open country. “In Eagle Pass and Del Rio, it’s a foot race,” Hill said.

Hill said another EA will likely be developed to address infrastructure needs between Del Rio and Eagle Pass, developments not included in the document in draft now. He said the new document would include and address surveillance towers, cameras, and sensors, but he declined to give a detailed list of measures under consideration.

Will more fencing be proposed in another EA? Hill paused, and replied, “I don’t need a fence out there in remote areas right now,” but added that recent amendments offered by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to a current appropriations bill yield discretion whether to pursue developments to U.S. Border Patrol sector chiefs, requiring effective consultation with local landowners and public officials as part of the process. Hill did not rule out the possibility of a future need for fencing along the Rio Grande between Eagle Pass and Del Rio.

Hutchison’s office told LIVE! Friday morning (Jan. 25) that the appropriations legislation caveats require DHS representatives (including U.S. Border Patrol chiefs) to consult with local officials before proposing changes in border security developments. Hutchison wants such conversations to acknowledge the limitations of terrain and the rights of property owners to protect their prerogatives of ownership and privacy.

Del Rio Mayor Efrain Valdez is pleased with what he sees in the Draft Environmental Assessment. “We got exactly what we wanted,” said Valdez, Tuesday (Jan. 22). “Instead of having a chain link or metal wall, we’re going to have a steel tubing fence, for just about 2,000 feet east of the International Bridge and maybe a few miles west. The original plan was for five miles west of our International Bridge, all the way to five miles south of Eagle Pass International Bridge.”

Despite his exuberance, for the apparent proposal to limit fence-building to a few miles in each city, Valdez noted the caveat in the document that its publication in no way conveys a final decision from DHS. “I basically don’t trust Chertoff at all. He does things that are different from what he says to us. Behind our backs, he goes and does whatever he wants to do. I will be very concerned if something changes in this [Draft Environmental Assessment] plan. I’ve gotten no indication of any changes, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t,” said Valdez.

This Draft Environmental Assessment aerial photo/map of Eagle Pass shows planned new fencing, north of the International Bridge, through town. Another version of this map shows an additional stretch south of the location shown here, labeling it as “already approved,” bringing the total of fencing to be built to nearly two miles. (Contributed graphic/Department of Homeland Security) (click image to enlarge)

Described as a “typical, primary fence design” in the Draft Environmental Assessment, local and federal officials agree that this is the appearance of a tubular steel, 18-foot-high barrier that is expected to be installed in both Del Rio and Eagle Pass. (Contributed photo/Department of Homeland Security) (click image to enlarge)

Texas Rep. Pete P. Gallego came to the “open house” at the Del Rio Civic Center’s Pecan Ballroom to learn more about the proposed fence and its impacts on the two cities where DHS plans to build it. Here, Gallego visits with Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Randy Hill, right, and David Pagan, state and local liaison, DHS, Washington D.C. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)

Del Rio Mayor Efrain Valdez did not attend the Draft Environmental Assessment “open house,” Thursday, but told LIVE! Tuesday (Jan. 22) that he was very pleased with the proposed fence location in Del Rio, calling both the location and the design, “exactly what we had asked for.” (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)

Foster told LIVE! Tuesday (Jan. 22), that he had little trust in the DHS chief, either. “Chertoff has said that the public that’s against this ‘just needs to grow up.’ That was not a comment that was received well on the hill,” Foster said. “They’re steamrolling the people, abusing our liberties, and appear to be out of control. It’s time they stopped posturing, because they’re going to hand this problem over to the next administration. The problem is that they don’t care if they do. It’s bureaucracy at its finest.”

The Department of Homeland Security's Secure Border Initiative’s Draft Environmental Assessment for the Del Rio Sector, detailing two possible locations of border fencing, one across the breadth of Eagle Pass, the other spanning two river sections on either side of the International Bridge in Del Rio is easily accessed by the public. A full copy of the Draft Environmental Assessment may be viewed at the Val Verde County Library, 300 Spring St. Comments must be submitted to DHS by Feb. 5. The DHS memo of transmittal of the Draft Environmental Assessment states: "Please use only one of the following methods to submit comments:

1. Attend and submit comments at the public open house to be held on January 24, 2008 at the City of Del Rio Civic Center
2. Electronically through the Web site at: www.BorderFenceNEPA.com
3. By email to: DRcomments@BorderFenceNEPA.com vBut mail to: Del Rio Sector Tactical Infrastructure EA, c/o eM, 2751 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 200, Fairfax, Virginia 22031
4. By Fax to: (757)299-4101”