Feds get last piece of Cameron County land needed for border fence

themonitor.com ^ | April 17, 2009

[Tailgunner Joe]

BROWNSVILLE — For two years, Eloisa Tamez stood between the federal government and her small swath of land west of Brownsville. She was determined to keep the border fence off her family's property - a decision she calls more personal than political.

But in resisting the Department of Homeland Security, Tamez became the voice of a community opposed to the barrier. Her fight ended Thursday, when state District Judge Andrew Hanen awarded the federal government possession of her land.

"We gave it our best fight," Tamez said. "And in the process, we brought awareness to many."

In challenging the government's land condemnation lawsuit, Tamez became an important part of the much-publicized legal battle over the fence. In a hearing last March, Hanen ruled that the federal government had neglected to consult with Tamez and other landowners before condemning their land.

At the time, Tamez called the decision a "victory for the Constitution." But in the end, it won't keep the barrier off her land.

On Thursday, Hanen ruled that the government has now provided Tamez with sufficient information about the barrier and the access points available from her land in El Calaboz, effectively ending her case.

"This means the government is going to go through with the project, despite the change in administration," said Denise Gillman, a clinical professor at the University of Texas Law School. "Tamez's case was the last hurdle for the last piece of land."

The 18-foot steel border fence has already been constructed along much of the land west of Brownsville. Only a small gap remains in El Calaboz, on Tamez's three-acre property. After the government partakes in one final court-ordered consultation, that gap will be filled.

Tamez's supporters, who marched along the border last March in opposition to the fence, are as displeased by the court's decision as Tamez herself.

"She was our role model, the one citizen who stood up to the government," said Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber, a member of the No Border Wall Coalition and Coalition of Amigos in Solidarity, two local opposition groups. "After such a long fight, this feels like a punch in the face."

In October, Tamez received the Henry B. Gonzalez award from the Texas Civil Rights Project, praising her willingness to stand up for the rights of border residents.

In the coming months, Tamez will negotiate with the DHS over compensation for her property. Last year, she turned down an offer of $13,500 for 0.26 acres of land.

[Tailgunner Joe]

"They talk about cultural sensitivity, but have ignored us and continued to move forward with the contracts to build the wall.... I’m appalled that the president right away said this country would stop the torture and close Guantanamo. But what does he call what’s happening to us? Do we not count?" - Eloisa Tamez

[ScreamingFist]

In the coming months, Tamez will negotiate with the DHS over compensation for her property. Last year, she turned down an offer of $13,500 for 0.26 acres of land.

$54,000 an acre, not bad for desert scrub land....

[HiJinx]

Ping!

[dennisw]

"They talk about cultural sensitivity, but have ignored us and continued to move forward with the contracts to build the wall.... I’m appalled that the president right away said this country would stop the torture and close Guantanamo. But what does he call what’s happening to us? Do we not count?" - Eloisa Tamez

Don't expect logic from these 3rd worlders with dubious loyalty to the United States
They'll spew out a buzzwords

These people are Mexicans not Americans

[Ben Ficklin]

This article doesn't point it out and it doesn't break it out, but the issue was how much Ms Tamez and the others in the dispute would be compensated for the diminished value of their land that would be stranded behind the fence.

Additionally, Ms Tamez had a unique situation in that her home was located very close to the fence and the fence road which would diminish the value.

[Kenny Bunk]

These people are Mexicans, not Americans

Dennis, we do not have a border with Mexico. What we have is a Latino concept

La Zona de Tolerancia

That is, a 100-mile-wide swath that is neither under full Mexican control, nor full American control.

It is run by interchangeable and cooperating American and Mexican criminals, many of whom hold public office and/or government jobs. This geography is a license to steal, which they do. They will kill to protect it, and they do.

The fence is a great idea. Just don't expect it to work miracles and change the mindset of those who inhabit La Zona. As the number of Latinos living in the US inexorably increases, we are on the way to becoming the northernmost Latin-American country. You can like it, or lump it. It's just arithmetic. The only real question is are we going to be more like Chile, or Bolivia and Guatemala?

[dennisw]

I agree...
My take is.....
The Euro-elite that rules Mexico knows exactly what borders are, just look at the walled compounds they live in that usually have security guards to keep away kidnappers and other riff-raff

The rest of Mexicans are Indian or Mestizo. They are the stooges who have been egged on by the Euro-elite to disregard the US border under the pretense that they are indigenous thus entitled to live in the American Southwest. This indigenous malarkey has morphed into a right to live anywhere in America

The Spanish and English fought for centuries. The Spanish/Euro elites of Mexico are merely continuing this war. Hugo Chavez loves this stuff. Chavez is a “mutt” just like our Kenyan. Chavez is white Indian and black. The book he gave our Kenyan president was about how the Anglos and Spanish have been bleeding Latin America since the get go

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2009/04/24/2009-04-24_chvez_obama_opening_new_veins.html

LASTLY-—
The pale face elites of Mexico laugh themselves to sleep each night how the stupid politically correct Americans accept the Mestizos and Indians that are driven northward. The more Indians and Mestizos that leave the better as far as they are concerned

[dennisw]

 

Notice how this psycho Eloisa Tamez claims she is Apache. LOL
All part of that "indigenous" shtick
She might be lying because she claims her land has been in her family since 1776
And Apache's weren't getting any land titles back then
More psycho-emoting from a lefty schemer

 

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Homeland Security sues Lipan Apache Eloisa Tamez for land for border wall

 

By Brenda Norrell

CAMERON COUNTY, Texas -- Homeland Security filed suit against Eloisa Garcia Tamez, Lipan Apache, on Tuesday, Jan. 29, to seize her land for the border wall in Texas. Tamez has been leading the resistance to the border wall in Apache communities. Tamez said she only has three acres, but it is all she has.
All across South Texas, mayors and legislators have united to fight the border wall. Since towns on both sides of the border rely on their neighbors' shopping, eating in restaurants and other commerce, business owners in South Texas say the already financially-strapped communities will suffer economically.

Photo: Eloisa Tamez by Jay Johnson-Castro

DHS continues to file lawsuits for proposed borderfence

http://www.themonitor.com/news/land_8546___article.html/county_government.html/

Laura B. Martinez and Kevin Sieff (The Brownsville Herald)

January 30
BROWNSVILLE — The federal government is continuing its effort to gain access to land in Cameron County for the proposed border fence, filingfive more lawsuits Tuesday.
Among those sued is Eloisa Tamez, an associate professor at the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, who has repeatedly denied the government access to her property. "We're building the wall because we're worried about terrorists, buton the border we're being terrorized by our own government," Tamez said Tuesday evening. "I'm still going to go forward. The land is still not for sale. They'll have to make an example out of me." ...

Return to Censored homepage:

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

 

Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com at 7:25 PM

 

[Redbob]

"...said Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber,... "After such a long fight, this feels like a punch in the face."

Great! Glad to hear it!

There's always good news here on Free Republic!

[Redbob]

"That is, a 100-mile-wide swath that is neither under full Mexican control, nor full American control."

I don't know how big that "zona" is on the U.S. side, but the zone not under full Mexican control extends at least as far as Mexico City, probably farther...

[Tailgunner Joe]

The landowner, Eloisa Tamez, heard about Judge Hanen’s order while participating in the Western Social Sciences Association Conference in Albuquerque, where she was participating in a Three part panel: "Indigenous People's and the U.S.-Mexico Border: Militarization, Resistance, and Rights." - LINK

[dennisw]

The usual lefty garbage. She got her indigenous rocks off

[Kenny Bunk]

.....full Mexican control ...

Oye, gringo, it may not look like "control" to your Northern European mind, but it is indeed under full control and the Mexicans run it just the way the way they like it.

Redbob, the Mexican (indeed the Latino) national sport is "pendejar" i.e., make the other guy, in this case us, look like a complete fool, "el pendejo," who mistakes his anus for his elbow. This of course, with "el pendejo" picking up the tab.

Fidel just made a complete pendejo out of our POTUS, who of course, is apparently too self-absorbed to notice or too dumb to know about it.

The unstated objective of Mexico is to recover the states of Aztlan. The Kaiser knew this in WWI, and I presume one or two of our smarter Presidents. The reason it is of paramount importance to the Mexican ruling elites is that this "reconquista" will be the only way to direct their metastasizing indian and mestizo population away from an inevitable and bloody revolution.

"One baby at a time, one house at a time, one street at a time, one town at a time, one state at a time ... then rejoin Mexico." In the meantime, the process has been underway, and the revolution successfully de-fused. It make take 5 or 6 generations more ... but they don't care. They have the time ... and they certainly have the people... and they have funded it with our money.

The Gringo is the "Pendejo."

[RGSpincich]

The government can take land at will. In this case FR mainly agrees with the government. Whoda thunk it?

[dennisw]

Very good insight. Yes the hated Anglo (gringo) must be made an idiot and made to dance to our tune. The Spanish elite of Mexico use the mestizos/indios to achieve this goal by encouraging them to invade America. That it is their right to live here, to come and go as they please

[dennisw]

You have a problem with a border fence?

[Tailgunner Joe]

Well, the constitution says that land shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation. We just support the constitution. Don’t you, fellow conservative?

[hinckley buzzard]

These people are Mexicans not Americans

Definitely the impression I got. The need to use land for infrastructure is no different here than needing a parcel of land for a freeway intersection. You couldn't derail Interstate 80 because of Uncle Joe's old barn in Iowa, and who knows what this broad's beef really truly is, after all? She wants to defeat the border for the sake of 1/4 acre? BS.

[RGSpincich]

In certain instances the government has not been negotiating in good faith. Splitting privately owned property with a border fence should make the land south of the fence either Mexico or part of a US buffer zone that is purchased by the government. That is not happening. Landowners are only being offered money for the square footage that the border fence will actually occupy. They lose reasonable access and use of the “southern” portion of their property without “just compensation”.

[dennisw]

Suggest a solution. I know what mine is