Delay revives levee hopes

Cameron County will again pursue its proposed alternative to the border fence now that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials say the agency might not meet its Dec. 31 deadline.

But with three contracts worth a total of $37 million already awarded in Cameron County, prospects for the alternative look increasingly bleak.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos has asked his staff to contact DHS to determine if the county can resubmit its proposal, even though bids on the fence have already been awarded.

"I think the biggest obstacle was the time frame. They've already awarded the contracts, but maybe they can amend the contracts to include the levees," Cascos said. "Until that first slab of concrete is laid, I'm going to have hope that they will look at our project."

But DHS has moved ahead with its plans to construct 37-miles of fencing in Cameron County, most of which will take the form of a 15- to 18-foot-tall steel barrier.

"We already have contracts, and these contracts are for a very specific kind of fence," DHS spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said.

Three contracts for construction of some 7.6 miles of fencing in Bluetown, Los Indios, El Calaboz and La Paloma were awarded earlier this week. DHS has not yet announced when construction will begin in the county.

Last month, DHS rejected the county's border fence/levee project and stated the county's proposal was not feasible and would be much more costly than anticipated.

A letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Cascos said the "key factors" in reaching the conclusion pertain to the cost and coordination with the International Boundary and Water Commission, which is working on levee improvements in the Cameron County area.

Cameron County had hoped a memorandum of understanding between the county and IBWC signed in August would steer the county closer to getting federal approval on its proposed border fence/levee project.

Now that the alternative's future appears doubtful, the more pressing question is how DHS will reconcile its current legal holdups with its ambitious construction plans.

Nearly 100 Rio Grande Valley residents are refusing to sell their property to the federal government. To circumvent the current stalemate, officials say, DHS could begin construction on the properties it owns while waiting for contested cases to be resolved.

ksieff@brownsvilleherald.com

lmartinez@brownsevilleherald.com