Critics are protesting a US border patrol plan to poison vegetation along a 1.1-mile stretch of the Rio Grande riverbank in Texas to eliminate dense foliage used as hiding places by illegal immigrants and smugglers.
Some opponents of the action compare it to the Vietnam war-era Agent Orange chemical spraying programme.
The $2.1m (£1.4m) pilot project is due to begin this week. If successful, it could be expanded along as much as 130 miles of river in the patrol's Laredo sector, as well as other parts of the US-Mexico border.
Opponents are concerned that the spraying will occur near the cities of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
"We don't believe that is even moral," said Jay Johnson-Castro Sr, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Centre, located at Laredo Community College, adjacent to the planned test area. "It is unprecedented that they'd do it in a populated area."
US border patrol and Environmental Protection Agency officials say the herbicide planned for the test is safe for animals. The programme is intended to keep border patrol agents safe and make their jobs easier.
Click here for the rest of this article.
Agent Orange Replay? Critics Blast US Border Patrol's Herbicide Strategy
-
Critics blast US border patrol's herbicide strategy
Plan would eliminate dense foliage used as hiding places by illegal immigrants and smugglers
Associated Press, March 24, 2009
Straight to the Source