Spring-breaking down the border fence

LAS MILPAS - Students and teachers walked along the road leading from Roma to Brownsville on Wednesday to protest the security fence to be built soon along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Three teachers from Brownsville organized the hike, which started Saturday in Roma and is set to end Sunday in Brownsville. The teachers hoped to interest college students in joining the trek and to show the nation that border residents oppose the fence.

Matthew Webster, 24, teaches ninth-grade English - and English as a second language - in Brownsville and helped organize the protest.

"It's been amazing just to see the support of the people, la gente," he said.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials and many political leaders have called the fence vital to controlling the border. Local officials and politicians disagree, saying the barrier would be expensive, ineffective and detrimental to relations with Mexico.

Kiel Harell, 25, teaches special education to seventh-graders in Brownsville, and John Moore, 31, teaches eighth-grade English. They organized the 126-mile walk together with Webster.

Along the way, locals have shown their support by clapping, honking their car horns and even bringing the protesters cases of Coca-Cola and bottled water.

Students from as far as Miami and as close as San Marcos have joined them on the hike. The number of participants fluctuates from one day to the next, but as many as 200 have taken part in it so far.

The protesters have received room and board from Catholic churches along the way. At a small rally Wednesday in Las Milpas, they made speeches, listened to music and watched dance routines performed by local residents.

Today is expected to be the longest leg of the trek, extending 17 miles from Las Milpas to Progreso. The protesters expect to arrive at the University of Texas-Brownsville at 5 p.m. Sunday and cap the march with a large rally there.
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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.