Spark It Up!!!: Tree Huggers Fighting Border Fence Construction

Who needs enemies with friends like the Sierra club.

On Thursday, Judge Huvelle ordered a temporary halt on construction of a border fence along a 1.5 mile stretch between Mexico and Arizona, on grounds the federal government had not thoroughly performed an environmental impact study.
The Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club had asked for a 10-day delay, claiming the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies had failed to conduct a thorough study of the fence's effects on the environment. (LINK)

This practice is nothing new, according to Duncan Hunter. He encountered the same thing when the San Diego fence was built.

"Environmental groups filing lawsuits to prevent the construction of critical border infrastructure comes as no surprise," Mr. Hunter said. "For years, a stretch of border in San Diego identified by the Border Patrol as 'Smugglers Gulch,' which federal law requires be fenced, has been left open and unprotected due to unrelenting legal action initiated by environmental groups.

Amazing. Duncan requested that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff override the decision to temporarily halt construction. Chertoff agreed -

"Secretary Chertoff rightfully announced that he would use this authority to complete the 'Smugglers Gulch' location, just as he has at other locations along the border, and this most recent delay should be treated no differently," he said.

I hope it is treated differently because this administration has been reluctant to place any type of priority status to the project. It should be top priority because it is the first step to decreasing illegal immigration. Every congressman should be supporting Duncan's efforts.

Fences and walls work, they always have. They have been used for centuries for security and traffic control. Build the fence!

“Every family which has been touched by the tragedy of terrorism and illegal drugs has a stake in Duncan’s Fence.”

- Muriel Watson, Border Control Activist

“Duncan Hunter has built 59.25 miles of Border Fence, reducing crime on the border. He stopped the drive-thru smugglers. I know I can count on Duncan to continue leading the fight to secure the border.”

– Thomas Wacker, U.S. Border Patrol Chief (Ret.)