Texas Border Fence Foes Protest by Kayak

[steve2470]

Source: AP

ROMA, Texas (AP) -- Dozens of people paddled down the Rio Grande in kayaks and canoes Saturday to protest a border fence they say will do little to stop illegal immigration but will destroy the impoverished region's burgeoning bird-watching industry.

After their trip down the river, about 60 paddlers gathered with about 15 other people in an amphitheater, then held hands across the middle of the bridge to Miguel Aleman, Mexico. The protesters were mostly American but included the mayor of Miguel Aleman.

Protesters claimed the fence will harm endangered wildcats, cut farmers off from water and hurt cross-border commerce.

"It's a Stone Age answer to a 21st-century problem," said John Martin, a 64-year-old retired investment broker from Edinburg. "Why spend $3.5 million a mile to tear out habitat we spent millions of dollars restoring?"

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BORDER_FENCE_PROTEST?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

[struggle4progress]

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