Texas Border Mayors Attack Planned Fence (1/3)

Mayors and city councils all along the Rio Grande river, which forms the border with Mexico, are banding together in an effort to stop construction of the fence.

Patricio Ahumade Junior, the mayor of Brownsville, Texas, just across the Rio Grande river from Matamoros, Mexico, says he will deny federal surveyorsaccess to city land to plot locations for the fence. He has also filed suit on behalf of the city to stop construction of the fence. Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas has called the planned fence a wall of shame, and Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster continues to oppose the fence even though he says he has received hate mail.

The mayors have found support from environmental groups who argue that the fence would disrupt the natural migration of wildlife in the Rio Grande river valley. Most business leaders in border towns also oppose the plan, saying it would create bad feelings with Mexico, a country on which they rely for most of their commerce.

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在作为美国与墨西哥边界的RIO Grande河附近，沿岸城市的市长和市议会的官员们聚集到了一起来努力阻止隔离墙的建造。

Patricio Ahumade Junior, 堪萨斯的 Brownsville市市长说，城市正好跨越从上游墨西哥的马tamoros市流下的Grande河。他将拒绝联邦调查员为标定隔离墙的位置进入该市。同时，他还以该市的名义提起诉讼要求停止建设隔离墙。Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas称疾患建造的围墙是耻辱之墙。Eagle Pass市长Chad Foster说即使收到恐吓信他也会继续反对这个围墙的建造。

市长们已经寻求到环保组织的帮助，环保组织认为围墙的修筑将影响Rio Grande河谷中野生动物的自然迁徙活动。大多数的边界城市的商界领导者也反对这个计划。他们称这将造成对墨西哥这个他们作为主要贸易对象的国家的负面印象。