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Halt to Border Fence Construction Highlights Need for Consultation, Flexibility

by Defenders of Wildlife - 10/12/07 3:40 PM ET

A federal judge has halted border wall construction within the San Pedro National Conservation Area in Arizona, agreeing with Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club that the Department of Homeland Security was trying to “ram

Everyone is in agreement that border security is an urgent necessity, but the Secure Fence Act, passed in the dying hours of the 109th Congress, is an inflexible and shortsighted approach to the issue that relies exclusively on border walls—a 19th Century solution to at 21st Century problem that ignores potential impacts on local communities and the environment.

H.R. 2593, introduced by Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) would permit the Department of Homeland Security to determine how best to secure border areas; require consultation with local communities and federal land managers before border walls are constructed; and remove the unprecedented authority granted to DHS to waive all federal, state, and local laws that otherwise apply to wall construction. The Grijalva bill offers Congress an opportunity to promote a sensible approach to border security that recognizes that border walls are not the answer