El Paso County in Western Texas, which has a larger population than the state of Alaska, has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop construction of hundreds of miles of fencing on the Mexican border. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff waived 37 federal laws that could have blocked or slowed construction. El Paso County lawyers claim that Chertoff, in so doing, violated the 10th Amendment protecting states’ rights, even though Congress gave him that power in 2005.

Texas County Files Appeal to Stop Border Fence (by Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (AllGov)

The Border Fence: A Modest Proposal (by David Wallechinsky, Huffington Post)