A change of direction for the border wall?

This sounds encouraging.

WOAI news radio has learned that U.S Customs and Border Protection will likely combine their fencing plan with a levee improvement project. There would be fencing in some areas, and in other, the levee's would be built up, so they would act like a wall.

It's a plan that border mayors, like Richard Cortez of McAllen have been demanding.

"I think it makes all the sense in the world," says McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez. "It gives them a line of sight, it gives them a barrier and it helps us here."

The 180-mile levee system is in disrepair. Cortez says, in some spots, it could not protect the area from flooding if there were torrential rains.

He's happy the federal government is actually paying attention to their suggestions.

"I'm happy that the government is seeing some value that there could be some alternative solutions to just a physical barrier."

The Monitor also has a story about this, so this is a good sign. It doesn't make the wall a good idea, mind you, but it might mitigate some of the damage, and it's perhaps the first sign that Homeland Security has listened to anything the locals have been saying.

On a related note, Grits notes the not-new phenomenon of fake Fed Ex trucks being used by smugglers. Check it out.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 01, 2008 to National news