Posted on 05/16/2008 11:51:32 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Texas mayors and business leaders filed a class-action lawsuit Friday alleging Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff hoodwinked landowners into waiving their property rights for construction of a fence along the Mexican border.
Members of the Texas Border Coalition said Chertoff did not fairly negotiate compensation with landowners for access to their land for six-month surveys to choose fence sites. The coalition of mayors and business and community leaders is seeking an injunction to block work on the fence.
They also want a federal judge to rescind all the agreements with landowners and to order Chertoff to start again. The department has sought and won access from hundreds of landowners to determine where to build the fence and other barriers to illegal border crossings.
The coalition's attorney, Peter Schey, said Chertoff violated a 1996 immigration law that requires fair negotiation with landowners.
The lawsuit also names Robert Janson, director of Asset Management at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as a defendant.
It was filed with U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, a Bush nominee who presided in the criminal case of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.
"They hoodwinked property owners" into waiving their property rights, Schey said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I thought Texas a a big illegal immigration problem? What’s up with this?
What BS. If the issue was simply not enough compensation was paid, sue for more.-but to sue to STOP building the wall is crap.
“What BS. If the issue was simply not enough compensation was paid, sue for more.-but to sue to STOP building the wall is crap.”
I can’t think of a better use for eminent domain.
If I were them, I’d be more pissed off they haven’t FINISHED the thing! And that they can’t defend themselves from those dangerous smugglers!
Maybe they should build the fence on the other side of their property instead.
Stop all the BS! Build the Effin’ fence!!!!
My guess is the landowners think they can get more money out of it.
Yes, but the objective is to stop building the wall, not get more compensation . . . this lawsuit is a direct result of Chertoff’s move to waive all those environmental (and other) regulations that were in the way.
If a property owner doesn't want the fence on their southern property line then don't build it there.
Go to the property owner to their north and ask to build it on their southern property line.
It's each property owners choice which side of the fence they're on.
In a capitalist system, profit is the ultimate value. Patriotism is nice, but if patriotism cuts into profit it will be dispensed with. That’s called “free trade”.
This is all about border residents (i.e. legal and illegal Mexican immigrants) preventing the fence from being built and maintaining the freeflow of people, money, and drugs across the border. Not to mention the freebies their family members can get here. Nothing can stop their gravy train.
If this case holds, we are not getting equal representation under the law. The border “votes” will be worth more than ours. We are being held hostage by a violent and dangerous minority.
The problem is this: those border communities are already Mexico, even the ones north of the border. They’re not really Americans; they’ve colonized those parts of Texas.
Of course they’re going to squeal about the loss of thier colonies.
The problem is this: those border communities are already Mexico, even the ones north of the border. They’re not really Americans; they’ve colonized those parts of Texas.
Of course they’re going to squeal about the loss of thier colonies.
I'll give you a hint. The mayors and buisiness leaders aren't from Dallas or Houston. They're right along the border.
ROFLMTO...that is hilarious. Maybe they got paid from elswhere to prevent the fence from being built with lawsuits against this administration. We need to hear from landowners what they really are saying is wrong?? Anyone interview them yet? Somebody get a microphone in TX and let’s get the real scoop? Do we have any TX journalists on FR?
I hope everyone is clear what all the hub bub is about.
All the Feds wanted to do was go on the properties to do a survey, to find the best place to put the wall. Owners often grant this right for no compensation, since the access is temporary and there is no damage to property. It sounds like many owners were offered $100 for this temporary right to survey.
The pro-illegal camp is making it sound like these owners were raped by the government and their land is being taken with no compensation.
Audacious stall tactics to prevent the wall from being built. A gullible and sympathetic press plays along.
Our government is broken and our world gone mad.
Does the term “hoodwinked” need to be used twice in this article?
How about “bamboozled”?
If you had ever dealt with the Federal Government you would know that waiting till the wall is built is to say they are screwing you over is a sure fire way to get screwed over by the government which screws more people every year than all the prostitutes in the world combined. Only when the Feds do it, it isn't nearly as much fun. If they can manage to stop the wall, then they might get a shot at fair compansation, but once the wall is built, forget it.
I don’t know what’s going on with this country.
Is this the same Michael Chertoff who, along with President Bush, gets trashed on here ad nauseum by the Mike Savage loonies who say the administration isn't doing something to secure the borders? Some people just wont let facts get in the way of a good rage.
Chertoff finally put his foot down and was being aggressive on this issue and the damned activists are fighting him every step of the way to prevent the fence from being built. Another thread was just posted where the activists have sued him over an illegal immigration raid as well. I suppose that is somehow a super secret conspiracy by him too?
I do understand your frustration, but get a grip already, you are beginning to sound like the moonbats with their BDS and it isn't becoming. Your energy would be better spent writing Congress and protesting than making up these wild accusations that have no basis in fact.
The driving force appears to be The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. TBC's website has interesting sponsorship as well.
“If this case holds, we are not getting equal representation under the law. The border “votes” will be worth more than ours. We are being held hostage by a violent and dangerous minority.”
Absolutely. Aliens already have more representation and rights than we do. We execute USA citizens, but withhold the death penalty from Mexicans too keep the regime down there happy. The law doesn’t even bother with ID theft by aliens unless they’re selling documents to thousands. What do you suppose would happen to you and I if we used someone else’s social sec # , etc?
“The coalition’s attorney, Peter Schey,”
He’s quite a piece of work...
L.A. lawyer Peter Schey ruining America by helping hordes of illegal immigrants stay here.
Originally published by New Times L.A. Jun 20, 2002 ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/705251/posts
[snip]One of the nation’s preeminent immigration attorneys, Schey has helped more than 1 million illegal immigrants become American citizens. He was one of the first lawyers in the country to bring class-action lawsuits against the Immigration and Naturalization Service on behalf of illegals. He successfully led the fight against Proposition 187....
.. His work has affected millions of people.”
Schey is part of the reason that the multicultural faces of Los Angeles and other big cities around the country look the way they do. He was one of two attorneys who helped win political asylum for 30,000 Salvadorans who fled the U.S.....
ping
Good deal...thanks for the info, hopefully they will throw this lawsuit out.
Access ping!
Who is hoodwinking who here?
Business owners suing? Gee, maybe they are unhappy that they might not get to illegally employee illegal aliens. That gravy train is over, or should be.
Texas can solve this problem by means of enosis with Mexico.
Many local elected officials in Texas profit from the criminal activity as do the unscrupulous businesses that hire illegal aliens. There are also landowners on the border who profit greatly from aiding the smugglers and harboring the criminals. There is considerable overlap of these groups; an unscrupulous land owner might also be a criminal employer or a political hack.
The suit is an attempt by the pro-criminal axis to protect the invasion and the criminal activity quite a few of them are engaged in.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2017207/posts?page=4
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