Court Grants Access To Border Fence Land
WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) — A small border town in Texas has been ordered to temporarily turn over land so the federal government can build a border fence.
The Justice Department sued the city of Eagle Pass for access to the land, and a federal judged ruled that the town had to surrender 233 acres.
The mayor of Eagle Pass says the action seems “a little heavy handed.” He and other officials and business leaders in the city oppose the fence and say they haven’t had enough say in how it would affect their communities.
A law supported by both Texas senators and signed by President Bush mandated a total of 700 miles of fence along the border. Homeland Security is trying to build 370 miles by the end of the year.
The Justice Department is expected to file more than 100 other lawsuits seeking land that could be used for the fence.
