Paddlers protest planned border wall

By Ed Stoddard

ROMA, Texas (Reuters) - Dozens of paddlers took to the waters of the Rio Grande on Saturday to protest a planned security fence along the U.S.-Mexico border that supporters say will stem the tide of illegal immigration from the south.

"I don't think that the wall is a good option for our countries," said Raul Padilla as he briskly stroked his kayak down the river. "Instead of dividing, we must unite to combat social problems together."

His boat was one of 10 from the Mexican side of the river to join 30 kayaks and canoes from the U.S. side for the 90-minute journey from the Texas town of Fronton to Roma. Some waved banners with slogans such as "Walls of mass destruction."

The U.S. government is planning to build a fence hundreds of miles long to shore up security along its 2,000 mile border with Mexico.

On several sections of the river, the paddlers floated over water that was only inches deep, underscoring the porous nature of the border.

The paddlers were concerned that a wall could cut off their access to the river.

"It will ruin every outside activity we have here," said Joanne McGrew, a nurse and kayaking enthusiast.

WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION

Opposition goes beyond outdoor sporting types. Interviews with several people in the area before the protest showed that resentment about the wall runs deep.

"I have never seen an issue in south Texas where there is such unanimity," John McClung, president of the Texas Produce Association, told Reuters.

He represents the labor-intensive agriculture sector that relies heavily on migrant labor from south of the border, while photographs in his office of him with former presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan peg him as a Republican.

Farmers are also concerned about access to the river.

"We have irrigation pumps on the river. This is expensive equipment. How do you check it if a wall is there?" said Bobbie Brown, a local farmer, who attended a small rally in Roma that followed the protest paddle.

Environmentalists, liberals and city folk in these parts are also staunchly opposed to the border fence, which locals say has more support up north among people who will not have to contend with it.

Conservationists are concerned the fence will cut off wildlife migration routes, further slice up already fragmented ecosystems and lead to the removal of rare riverside forest that is crucial bird habitat.