January 14, 2008

Mexico-linked Peter Schey tries blocking border fence, may sue

Peter Schey of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law is an immigration lawyer with at least a few links to the Mexican government. His latest gambit involves trying to block the border fence; whether the Mexican government is involved or not isn't known, but then again reporters almost never mention his links to that government.

From this:

Lawyers for landowners and descendants of original settlers along the border in South Texas claimed Monday [January 7] that a new federal law could result in changes to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plan to build a border wall there this year.

"It's really a new ballgame at this point," said Peter Schey with the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Los Angeles, a nonprofit group that says it works for civil and human rights of minorities, including immigrants. "We think that means having serious consultation with private landowners, Native American tribes, land grant descendants and private property owners."

Schey said language in an omnibus spending bill approved by Congress in late December and signed by President Bush not only mandates public consultation about the fence but also gives the federal government discretion in determining the best means to gain control of the border. It also says alternative infrastructure can be considered.

He may be referring to Section 564 of the spending bill as described here. That was brought about by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison; in this she's "defensive" about the amendment she pushed through. She says that critics such as Duncan Hunter and Peter King knew she was going to offer the amendment and that the amendment doesn't jeopardize construction of the fence. The DHS agrees, for what that's worth. She also implies that she intended it simply as window-dressing: hold a few townhall meetings, get local input, and then build the fence. Needless to say, Schey doesn't see it that way, saying:

"We plan to see the Department of Homeland Security in court... Building the fence is back to square one."

The Texas Border Coalition is quoted also; whether they have links to him isn't known.

In this, Schey reveals that his goal is to completely block construction of the fence:

Schey said Chertoff should have to start over with his border fence plans because of that law and first hold "serious consultation" with possibly effected landowners and others who may be affected.

"By then Chertoff won't have his job anymore and we will have a new administration and the new administration will take a look at the need for this wall," Schey said.

For the far-left view, see americas.irc-online.org/am/4884 and infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20080106224220807

The last is written by someone Schey is representing or one of her relatives and uses phrases like the "US Apartheid Wall and militarized borderzone" and similar. The first uses a similar phrase and has Schey referring to the fence as a "Berlin Wall".

The last promoted a conference call held last Monday featuring various Indian representatives such as Jose Matus, "director of Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras, Tucson, AZ" and someone from the "O'odham Voice Against the Wall". Arnoldo García of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights had some involvement in that.

Posted to Immigration2008a at January 14, 2008 12:00 PM