Contractors Hired To Build Border Fence

KVEO Channel 23
October 1, 2008

The contractors are hired to build four sections of the controversial border fence throughout Cameron County.Like it or not, Homeland Security says the fence is going up.

Proof of that is in the form of these multi-million dollar construction contracts.

Precinct 2 Cameron County Commissioner, John Wood strongly opposes the fence, and says, these new contracts are a shame.

Two contractors, Keiwit Construction and Jaco Construction have been hired.

Wood says these contractors are being paid about 37 million dollars to bulid the fence in Cameron County on a little more than 7 miles of land. Wood believes this is a waste of money, and says the fence will be built in four separate sections, affecting many land owners.

"It's just not fair, for the landowners, they are being taken advantage of, I don't think they've been treated fairly or negotiated with, " Wood says.

Recently, Commissioner Wood even visited other parts of the state to see what the border fence already looks like.

"I was in El Paso last week, i saw some fencing being done there, a little bit of a difference there, they're using a hurricane like fence, a little bit of mesh wire."

The fence here, Wood says, will probably be an 18 foot high, bollard fence, in which he believes is highly un-wanted. "The federal government's spending money like this, and I think it's useless. '
A date as to when the building will begin has still not been set.

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