Chertoff waives laws to build fence

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Monday invoked his power to bypass certain laws to restart construction of about seven miles of fence on the Arizona-Mexico border.

Chertoff's action allows construction to go forward in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area near Naco, Ariz. Work was suspended Oct. 10, when a federal district judge ordered a delay in construction. The judge said the U.S. did not fully study the environmental impact of the fence.

Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club criticized Chertoff's move in a joint statement and said the order conflicted with his decision to do a more in-depth environmental study for construction on the Texas border.