Congressional Hearing on the Border Wall at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville : Houston Indymedia

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), and Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), held a joint oversight field hearing on "Walls and Waivers: Expedited Construction of the Southern Border Wall and the Collateral Impacts on Communities and the Environment" at UT Brownsville on Monday April 28th. Check the govt press release

A couple of us from Houston IMC and anti-border wall activists from through out the Rio Grand Valley came to listen to the testimony, cheer for the anti-wall speakers and congress folks and jeer at the fear mongering tactics of Tancredo, Hunter and their flunkies. Of the 8 congressmen and women, 6 were against the wall and power grab by Chertoff. The location of UTB for the hearing was interesting as the wall would put parts of the campus on the south side of the wall, and try to funnel border crossers onto the campus to make their apprehension by the Border Patrol easier.

The Testimony was diverse and gave numerous reasons for opposition to the border wall. During the hearing more than 10,000 signatures to a petition against the wall was entered on the record.

Below are some photos:

A crew of folks started a protest on the edge of the campus at 8:30am

Hundreds of students had written their names and messages against the border wall.

Some vocabulary from the side of the mural.

Another good vocab word.

Around a dozen officers sat in the back left corner of the hearing. The word on the ground is some officers support the fence and many are of the opinion it is a really dumb idea.

From Left to right:

Rick Schultz, National Borderland Coordinator, Department of the Interior

Ronald D. Vitiello, Chief Patrol Agent, Rio Grande Valley Sector, Office of Border Patrol, United States Customs and Border Patrol, United States Department of Homeland Security

The Honorable Chad Foster, Mayor, City of Eagle Pass, Texas

Ned Norris Jr., Chairman, Tohono O'odham Nation

Juliet V. Garcia, Ph.D, President, University of Texas at Brownsville and Southmost College

On the far right is Congresman Reyes of El Paso and the panel is composed of:

The Most Rev. Raymundo J. Pena, Bishop of Brownsville

Betty Perez, Local private land owner, part of the No Border Wall Coalition

Rosemary Jenks, Hack, NumbersUSA

Joan Neuhaus Schaan, Executive Director, Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council ON STAFF OF THE BAKER CENTER AT RICE UNIVERSITY.

John McClung, President and CEO, Texas Produce Association. Against the Wall

Ken Merritt, Private Citizen, Biologist for 20+ years for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Against the Wall

Laura Peterson, Senior Policy Advisor, Taxpayers for Common Sense, against the waivers being used by chertoff against the wall.

Zack Taylor, Hack, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent (Retired)

Just south of Falfurias on highway 281, there is a border patrol checkpoint where they have this information on apprehension of undocumented folks and drugs seized this year.