Suit allows access to border lands for six months of surveys
Texans who own land along the US border with Mexico have lost a court fight to keep federal land surveyors off their properties, which the government plans to use as the site of the controversial border protection http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2961.
Under eminent domain, the government plans to compensate the dozen Cameron County property owners for use of their lands. The owners filed suit to have the surveying stopped, seeing it as a first step to construction of the fence. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen granted the federal government six month long easements to “survey, make borings, and conduct other related investigations” as part of a project to “plan the proposed construction of roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, and related structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border within the State of Texas.” He also ordered the government and ranchers to “work together” to avoid disputes.
A law mandating a border fence was signed in October of 2006 after widespread grassroots pressure on the government.Later legislative attempts to make an “end run” around border enforcement by “legalizing” illegal aliens already in the United States were shot down, leading to public claims that the border fence project was being held back by Washington.
The government has already done an “environmental impact” survey, complete with satellite maps.