OBP004882

From: (b) (6)

To: (b) (6)
Subject: RE: Few comment at El Paso meeting on border fence
Date: Friday, February 29, 2008 8:54:55 AM

Apparently not in Texas, I hate when someone spoils a good story with facts.

(b) (6) , Strategic Communications

Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(b) (6)
(b) (6)

From: (b) (6)

Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 8:53 AM
To: (b) (6)

Subject: RE: Few comment at El Paso meeting on border fence

Doesn’t the sun set in the West?

From: (b) (6)

Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 7:34 AM
To: (b) (6)

Subject: FW: Few comment at El Paso meeting on border fence

Good morning.

The following is a few notes from last night’s public open house in El Paso, followed by an article in the
El Paso Times.

The El Paso meeting went well. The No Border Wall demonstration was uneventful. There
were approximately 30 to 40 No Border Coalition demonstrators outside the venue. There was
plenty of local media coverage. All of the local news affiliates were present.

From our side, other than the normal cast of characters, there are representatives from
USFWS, Corps Regulatory Office, and SPA Program Office. Have not seen any one from
IBWC as of yet.

There were 92 individuals who walked in, of those 57 signed in, and there were 35 public
comments submitted.

(b) (6)
Secure Border Initiative
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(b) (6)
For more information about the Secure Border Initiative, visit www.cbp.gov/sbi or contact us at SBI_info@dhs.gov.

Few comment at meeting on border fence

By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
OBP004883

Article Launched: 02/29/2008 12:29:08 AM MST

A few El Pasoans offered comments on a proposed 57 miles of border fence during a meeting
Thursday evening, while others demonstrated outside against what they called a "wall."

Officials from Customs and Border Protection and from the Army Corps of Engineers were
on hand to answer questions and collect public comments at an East El Paso ballroom.

"We're still in the decision-making process," CBP spokesman Greg Gephart said.
But some at the sparsely attended event said they felt that the border fence would be built no
matter what.
Justo Rivera, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in the Lower Valley, sported a T-shirt
bearing the words "Keep the Great Wall in China."

"Why don't they clean the river and build up the levee instead of wasting my money on a
wall? But are they going to listen to us? No way," he said

The plan calls for 56.7 miles of fence, including 21 miles of lights from Socorro to the
Fabens port of entry; eight bridges across irrigation canals in El Paso and Hudspeth counties;
and some road work.

The fence will be 15 to 18 feet high and possibly made of metallic mesh. Its positioning is
not final and could depend on the fence's design. A fence anchored into the ground could be
placed on the south side of the canal; a fence resting on the ground would go on top of the
levee road, also south of the canal, according to government maps.

About 50 people from the No Border Wall Coalition protested outside. Inside, Veronica
Martin, a Westsider and a student at El Paso Community College, said she liked the fence
proposal.

"I think we need a wall. It'll provide Border Patrol agents with more protection," she said. "I
feel like they are in just as much danger as soldiers overseas."

In South Texas, where opposition to border fencing has been widespread, landowners refused
to give the government access to property, and the government filed suit against them.

Charles McGregor, environmental program manager for the Fort Worth district of the Army
Corps of Engineers, said that for the El Paso area, most of the land belongs to the
International Boundary and Water Commission or to local water districts. But McGregor said
his engineers might need to go through private land to get to the river.

Construction has not started on the border fence in Texas. In El Paso, a consultant finished a
draft environmental study and concluded that the fence would have no environmental or
aesthetic impact because the river's edge has already been disturbed by canals and levees.

Socorro Mayor Trini Lopez shook his head as he looked at aerial maps displayed at the
meeting.
"People in Socorro will be impacted by a 16-foot wall that will be obstructing a view to a
beautiful part of Mexico and the sunsets that we are enjoying every day," he said.