Chertoff fast-tracks fences

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday issued waivers for about 60 sections of the U.S.-Mexico border, granting his agency authority to build fences without worrying about environmental lawsuits and putting them on track to meet President Bush’s targets for fencing.

The waivers cover about 470 miles of the border where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has planned to build pedestrian fences, vehicle barriers and the backup infrastructure such as roads and towers needed to combat illegal entry.

“I employed this authority to ensure that these projects will proceed without unnecessary delays caused by administrative processes or potential litigation. These waivers should cover the remainder of additional fence construction that will be accomplished in 2008,” Mr. Chertoff said.

He and congressional supporters of border fencing say environmental restrictions could have further delayed construction, aiding illegal immigration, which they say is often worse for the environment than the barriers themselves.

DHS also granted waivers in Hidalgo County, Texas, which will help that county build levees and barriers that will both support flood-control efforts and provide a blockade against illegal immigration.

Mr. Chertoff said that shows DHS can cooperate with localities when they are both working toward compatible goals.

The move won praise from congressional Republicans, who have called for quicker action on border security. However, advocates such as Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, said Mr. Chertoff must still do more to meet the mandates Congress and Mr. Bush agreed to in the 2006 Secure Fence Act, including the construction of double-tier fencing along about 700 miles of the border. DHS instead chose single-tier fencing and vehicle barriers for much of the sections.

As for the next president, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain all voted for the Secure Fence Act, though each candidate has since expressed reservations. Mrs. Clinton said in one of the debates she didn’t know exactly what she was voting for.