Business leaders say perception driving protest against fence

McALLEN — Affectionately they’re called the McAllenistas, like a gang of border bandits fighting for their livelihood. They’re rebels, revolutionaries and rabble rousers.

And they’re more common than you think. They decry the government in daylight, dressed in pressed jackets and polyester skirts. They organize protests and letter-writing campaigns from their cushy corner offices.

But these “bandidos” aren’t left-wing activists, college students and illegal immigrant apologists. In every way, the area’s protest is led by the establishment — business owners.

They own the neighborhood fast-food joint and sell property — even hold elected positions.

“The No.1 reason we are opposed to this is so that people realize the potential negative impact,” said Steve Ahlenius, president and CEO of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and unofficial spokesman for the Rio Grande Valley’s anti-fence crusade. “Obviously, Mexico makes up 35 percent of our retail business.”

Tonight, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is set to hold its first major local hearing on the proposed border fence at the McAllen Convention Center. In the same building at the same time, local business leaders are organizing a protest, hoping to prove the Valley greatly opposes the fence.

The federal government plans to build 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, following a law signed by President Bush. Some 70 miles of that fence would be in the Valley and construction could start as early as January.

With that 70 miles of fence, local business leaders say there could be a multi-million dollar impact and with so much to lose, they’re leading the charge to stop a wall.

Last week, though, outgoing Mexican Consul Luis López-Moreno said there was little that could deter the continued rise of cross-border commerce. Even the proposed fence, if built, would have little effect, he said.

A black-and-white banner reading “No Border Wall” hangs outside the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s office off Business 83 Since plans of a wall in the Valley surfaced earlier this year, the chamber has organized protests and drafted resolutions in opposition.

Ahlenius has also been quoted or referenced in national newspapers, on radio stations as far as Washington, D.C., television networks such as CNN, Fox News and even the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He made national headlines in particular when he jokingly suggested that a fence should be built around the nation’s capital.

He says his activism comes from chamber members, who stand to take a financial hit from a border wall.

“The customers are telling us that if they build a wall it will look like you don’t want them here,” Ahlenius said.

On the one hand, business owners admit that the direct impact will be minimal. Illegal immigrants, they say, don’t directly contribute much to the area economy.

But legal visitors from Mexico, Ahlenius said, contribute about $3 billion in local shopping, hotels and other services revenue.

So, if nothing else, a fence could hurt Mexicans’ perception of the United States, said Joe Aleman, owner of Aleman Auto Rental in McAllen and also a member of the chamber’s board of directors.

“They are shopping, staying in hotels, going to Ross and Kohl’s,” said Aleman, whose clients are about 70 percent Mexican nationals. He doesn’t know if he’ll lose money if a fence is built, but he knows it would offend his customers.

“I think its going to be a negative public relation,” he said. “If we upset them enough they might not come.”

Last year, the McAllen chamber hosted a focus group in Monterrey, with a portion of the study asking locals what they thought about the plans for a border wall. The response from Monterrey residents was “emotional” and “visceral,” Ahlenius said.

Other business groups have launched crusades against as well. The McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, along with business leaders in Brownsville, is trying to organize a lawsuit against the federal government to stop the fence.

“(The business owner’s) focus is the perception of the wall,” said Brenda Lee Huerta, community relations manager at Univision radio and chairwoman of the board for the McAllen Hispanic Chamber. “(Mexican Nationals) look at the lines at the bridges and don’t see enough agents.

“Now, we want to spend millions building a fence. How will that make them feel?”

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Kyle Arnold covers business, the economy and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4410.