Texas Officials Sue Government Over Border Fence

WASHINGTON (AP) – Texas border mayors and business leaders have filed a class-action lawsuit in an effort to stop construction of the U.S.-Mexico fence.

The Texas Border Coalition alleges Friday in a suit filed in Washington that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff failed to negotiate fairly with landowners for access to their property. The lawsuit also names Customs and Border Protection officials as a defendant.

Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner says the suit is a delay tactic.

Coalition members say a 1996 immigration law giving Chertoff authority to condemn property for the fence also requires he negotiate fair compensation. They say landowners were offered $100 and were hoodwinked into waiving their property rights.

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