Handle border fence disputes with sense, goodwill, judge says

Government has sued for access to 12 pieces of private property in Cameron County.

By Christopher Sherman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday, January 26, 2008

BROWNSVILLE — A federal judge urged the government Friday to use common sense and "good neighborness" in working out access to 12 pieces of private property in Cameron County that federal officials say is needed to study land for a border fence.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen did not rule Friday, but an order was expected early next week granting the government access but with some guidelines.

Hanen's handling was markedly different from the way U.S. District Judge Alia Moses Ludlum handled a similar case in Eagle Pass. In that case, the government filed its lawsuit and Ludlum ordered the city to surrender 233 acres before it could muster a response.

Brownsville residents, including Mayor Pat Ahumada, have been among the most vocal critics of the border fence — which is required by a federal law calling for a 700-mile barrier along the southern border to help fight illegal immigration. Ahumada denied surveyors access to city-owned land, noting that early plans showed the fence cutting through downtown.