B and B

Stop the Border Wall

Our own government apparently plans to turn Texas and the Rio Grande Valley into a new Berlin, divided by a wall -- a wall thorougly destructive of the communities which it splits and the land which it occupies.  I know I am not alone in finding this an extremely repulsive concept.

From the Express-News today:

Construction of nearly 70 miles of border fencing in the Rio Grande Valley is scheduled to begin as early as next spring, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Monday, spawning renewed cries that local officials are being shut out of the controversial plan.

...

Though the final design won't be approved until the close of the public comment period, which ends Oct. 15, the agency said the fence will be at least 16 feet high and 3 to 6 feet below ground, capable of withstanding vandalism, cutting and penetrating, as well as a crash of a 10,000-pound vehicle traveling 40 mph.

Border community leaders were surprised, disappointed and even angry over the government's announcement of the environmental study.

"We continue to be confused and bewildered, and I don't think it's by accident," said Chad Foster, mayor of Eagle Pass and chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, a group of leaders from El Paso to Brownsville. "They've never been open. They've never been above board. There's never a good time for a bad idea, but at least they're consistent about that."

The wall will consist of 21 segments, which will range from 1 to 13 miles, along the border near Rio Grande City, McAllen, Mercedes, Harlingen, Brownsville and Fort Brown.

The agency said it would clear vegetation to build temporary access roads and construction staging areas, which will affect a swath of about 60 feet, stretching along the 70 miles.

"They're supposed to be working with us, but instead they are running it down the throats of the residents of Brownsville," said Pat Ahumada, mayor of Brownsville.

The construction also will affect portions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, which has raised concerns among environmentalists, who fear the fence will destroy riverfront wildlife habitat that attracts thousands of eco-tourists from all over the world.

The environmentalists also say the fence could cut access to the Rio Grande for endangered species, such as ocelots and jaguarondi, destroying one of the most biologically diverse regions in the country.

For more information and for info on how to help fight the Border Wall, see the No Border Wall website at notexasborderwall.com.

Bush drastically raising fees on legal immigrants

The new Bush administration tactic to reduce illegal immigration is to make it extremely expensive to immigrate legally and become permanent residents and citizens of this country.

From today's Express-News:

A Bush administration proposal to nearly double the cost to become a U.S. citizen was met Wednesday by an outcry from immigrant and minority rights groups that say the increased costs hamper legalization efforts.

The proposed boost in application fees by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was called justified by federal officials who said increased revenue would recoup the cost of doing business and provide more personnel to improve services.

From a separate article:

If she can't save up enough to pay the current application fee, Lupita Rivero fears she might as well forget ever trying to become a U.S. citizen.

The government has made numerous fee boosts in the past, but never as steep as the current proposed changes.

Take a look at some of the most extreme fee raises, as provided by the Express-News:

• "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status" goes from $325 to $905.
• "For Filing Application for Status as a Temporary Resident" goes from $255 to $710.
• "Application to Adjust Status from Temporary to Permanent Resident" goes from $180 to $1,370.
• "Application for Naturalization" goes from $330 to $595.
• "Notice of Appeal of Decision" goes from $110 to $545.

And there are plenty more forms and drastic fee increases beyond those.

Being a natural-born citizen, I am not familiar with the paperwork and fees that legal immigrants must deal with. But examining the list linked above, I am amazed that so many hard working people put up with that kind of red tape and expense.

Some quotes from the article:

• "America should be embracing those who want to become citizens, not erecting barriers to achieving this worthy goal," said Christina DeConcini with the National Immigration Forum.
• The fee increases will "put the dream of U.S. citizenship beyond the reach of many of our nation's newcomers," the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials said in a statement.
• "It makes naturalization much less accessible, and that has been a growing concern in communities across the country," said Cecilia Muñoz with the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic rights organization.
• "It's right for the people who benefit to pay the cost of that benefit, not the taxpayers," [central Texas GOP Rep. Lamar] Smith said. (As I recall, Lamar Smith has always been one of the most anti-immigrant congressmen.)

For now, this is just a proposal by the U.S. Citizensip and Immigratiion Service. Reportedly, it will not be final until June. Meanwhile, We have 60 days, starting today, to formally express our opinions at www.regulations.gov. Alternatively, the instructions state that we can send an email to OSComments@dhs.gov, including DHS Docket No. USCIS-2006-0044 in the subject line. The deadline is April 2.