Bush Signs Border Fence Bill

Authorizes 700 Miles Of New Fencing On U.S.-Mexico Border

(AP)  President Bush signed a bill Thursday authorizing 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to give Republican candidates a pre-election platform for asserting they're tough on illegal immigration.

"Unfortunately the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades and therefore illegal immigration has been on the rise," Mr. Bush said at a signing ceremony.

"We have a responsibility to enforce our laws," he said. "We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility serious."

He called the fence bill "an important step in our nation's efforts to secure our borders."

The centerpiece of Mr. Bush's immigration policy, a guest worker program, remains stalled in Congress.

And a handful of House Republican are at the brakes, blocking negotiations with the Senate for a bill that includes the president's proposal.

Still, Mr. Bush argues that it would be easier to get his guest worker program passed if Republicans keep their majorities in the House and Senate after the Nov. 7 elections. His proposal would allow legal employment for foreigners and give some of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States a shot at becoming American citizens.

The measure Mr. Bush put into law Thursday before heading for campaign stops in Iowa and Michigan offers no money for the fence project covering one-third of the 2,100-mile border.

Its cost is not known, although a homeland security spending measure the president signed earlier this month makes a $1.2 billion down payment on the project. The money also can be used for access roads, vehicle barriers, lighting, high-tech equipment and other tools to secure the border.

Mexican officials have criticized the fence. Outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has spent much of his six years in office lobbying for a new guest worker program and a chance at citizenship for the millions of Mexicans working illegally in the U.S., calls the fence "shameful" and compares it to the Berlin Wall.

Others have doubts about its effectiveness.

"A fence will slow people down by a minute or two, but if you don't have the agents to stop them it does no good. We're not talking about some impenetrable barrier," T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing Border Patrol agents, said Wednesday.

Customs and Border Protection statistics show that apprehensions at border crossings are down 8 percent nationally for the budget year that just ended, Bonner said. Apprehensions were up in the San Diego sector, he said, an area of the nearly 2,000-mile border that has the most fencing.

A spokesman for Customs and Border Protection would not confirm the statistics or discuss reasons for the increase in the San Diego sector.

Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, both Texas Republicans, had wanted to amend the fence bill to give local governments more say about where fencing is erected. They lost that battle, but Republican leaders assured them the Homeland Security Department would have flexibility to choose other options instead of fencing, if needed.

Cornyn said he voted for the fence because he wanted to help demonstrate that Congress was serious about border security.

"The choice we were presented was: Are we going to vote to enhance border security, or against it?" Cornyn said. "I think that's how the vote was viewed."

[teddebare]

I will not be concerned about this wall being built until Halliburton gets their non competitive bid.. Then I will worry.

But if the republicans are not in office most of Halliburfton's execs may be in jail or living in Mexico.

[j267796]

Squiz2 wrote "We wouldn't have to worry about anyone taking the amazing landscaping and dishwashing jobs that Americans LOVE so much to do."
It is way more than landscaping or dishwashing jobs that are at stake here. Does anyone know how many billions of dollars are spent each year in WIC, AFDC, Welfare, Medi-caid, Food Stamps, etc on illegal immigrants? One border county in CA spends 5 million dollars a month!!! Although, many individuals come to our country looking for honest work, many more come here in order to take advantage of our social services. You know, the ones WE pay for but most often are denied to use. If we no longer let the illegals avail themselves of these services, then the rate of immigration will slow. Especially if we no longer let women who come across the border in labor be allowed to claim these services for ALL their children (not just the one born here). In addition, people who employ illegal aliens should lose their business or face prison time. This includes the politicians who have illegal nannies, housekeepers, etc.

[smallgov]

It's hard to find a solution that will satisfy everyone. That's always the case in a country as big as ours. NY gets plenty of immigrants from overseas as well, but we have a bigger economy and absorbing them is less of a problem. Also, because it's a more of a melting pot society, we don't have an "us" and "them" situation like you might see in TX or CA etc. We are a federation of States, and I think that the border States should exercise their rights to deal with the local immigration impact using their own resources. Any federal funds can certainly be spent more effectivly on local programs than by building a fence. I heard a southern CA farmer say that they can either grow the tomatoes on the US side of the border with illegal Mexican labor, or let the Mexican farmers grow them on their side with Mexican labor. Same soil, same water, same tomatoes. If you want them to be cheap in the grocery store, than this is the situation we'll need to live with until Mexico's economy gets better or ours gets worse.

[bellal-2009]

Elliemouse, I hear you loud and clear. Rural America is suffering terribly from illegal immigration. It's ridiculous that we don't even have a country anymore. Some small communities have become like a third world refugee camp. Social services are taxes to the breaking point. Mexico has to fix it's own problems and stop relying on us to solve it's problems.

[cntrygrllst]

surely you will note that it is a growing concern
and yes my children would pick produce and have.
We were from a farming community, and very proud to be from there but when the farmers could hire two ilegals for the pay of one qualified legal citizen because of wage laws yes its a problem

[cntrygrllst]

BlueStare you have oviously not seen your own sons have to leave your home town due to not being able to find a job in or close to it for the all of the companies hiring ilegals for 3.00 an hour. I have. I had to leave My home and move 700 miles away to find a job, the middle class is in trouble you can stick your head in the sand or whatever you chose to stick it in but we need to close our borders and do it NOW!!!

[bluestardad]

CALL TO AMERICAN VOTER
STAY FOCUSED AMERICA IT IS ABOUT TO GET TOUGH. WE HAVE A FEW MORE DAYS OF INTENSE ATTACK ADS, SMOKE SCREENS, DIVISION OF ELECTORATE, DECEPTION, MISREPRESENTATION, AND LIES, TO ENDURE BEFORE WE CAN UNCOVER THE ELECTION FRAUD, RECOUNT THE VOTE, AND THROW THESE CRIMINALS OUT OF OFFICE. THEN WE CAN START HEALING AMERICA.

[rsoxfan1123]

someone wrote earlier that he is using illegals to build this since he is not funding it....

[bluestardad]

We in America need to pull back from this Frenzy of Fear that has spellbound us since September 11, 2001. I am not saying to let down our guard or not be prudent with our Law enforcement, Intelligence agencies or Military as their constant job is to protect the American people and they do it well. Rationally speaking it is more likely that a person will be killed in a car accident on the way to get milk than killed by a Terrorist in America. Hispanics coming across our border for work are not the terrorist or the enemy. Unfair trade practices initiated by our government are the cause of our jobs leaving and the demise of the Middle Class in America not some Terrorist plot. Political Parties have been using fear in an attempt to maintain power in this country. Americans do the math you are more likely to do yourself bodily harm than to be harmed by a Terrorist. America is a Land of Opportunity and hopes where people live in Freedom. America is not a land were people will be governed by Fear.

[bluestardad]

What a pimp, he provided a photo op signing but no money to build the fence.

[cbgb31]

Way to go, Mr. Bush. Right move, right time.

[bellal-2009]

Smallgov, you need to spend some time in a border state to fully understand the illegal immigrant problem. Living in NY you are too far removed to get it. The people of Texas,Colorado,New Mexico, California have been more than patient. Crossing the border is wrong. It's illegal. And these people need to be deported and start demanding that their country clean up the corruption and join the global economy.

[bellal-2009]

kenbrbkr, maybe we should just annex Mexico. Do you understand the concept of a soveirgn country?

[emhawks]

To j-whitman:
Wonderful idea! Let's send Rumsfeld too. The sooner the better!

[sirsean]

Don't want them coming here illegally ? Then make it legal.
Don't like them claiming benefits ? Then make it legal for them to come here to work & make them pay into it like the rest of us.
Don't like them roaming around the country undocumented ? Then make it beneficial for them to be documented & legal & paying their way.
If you want the benefits you can't take it all back to Mexico with you. If you want to take it all back with you then don't ask for the benefits.

A fence, or a Berlin Wall, is just a huge waste of money & a huge national embarassment except for the big busines that gets the contract to build it. Could they (you know who) be sucking us dry enough in Iraq to not bid on it ?

[j-whitman]

Take Bush, send him to Iraq Immediatly, have him stand in front of the Emerald City with Cheney & Rove, all with signs saying, "We are making your country safer, throw flowers".

[diegogrl1980]

KM - What do you see for the future?

AS - Chaos, confusion and ultimately a battle between the individual and the State. The individual is the stronger; and will win. The state is a fiction sanctified by Hegel and his followers to CONTROL the individual. Sooner or later people will wake up. First we have to dump the trap of right and left, this is a Hegelian trap to divide and control. The battle is not between right and left; it is between us and them. The message is getting through. ASE has sold for 15 years, small but steady. No advertising. Its an underground work. But the breadth of interest is amazing. From Black Africa, to Russia (12,000 copies), right, left...it cuts across all ethnic, political, social lines...The spirit of God is within us as individuals. Skull & Bones represents death. It has no life spirit and pretends that the State "is the march of God on earth". The thinking of immature juveniles, deadly and destructive and has almost totally infected Washington. What to do? Find yourself and then go to work.....tell your friends and put out the message. The answer is within you.

[nadeau4201]

smallgov Dem or Rep they are all the same. Things will not change unless the country is run by the people for the people and not by greedy politions who's only concern is there own. They don't care about public schools there kids go to private schools. They get free health care for life. Gas what the hell do they care how much it is they all have government issued vehilcles paid for by the tax payers. We can whine about these things all day long or do something about it. There are more of us then there is of them. We shouldn't have to live with one mans vision of how things should be.

[bluestardad]

STEP BACK FROM FEAR!
We in America need to pull back from this Frenzy of Fear that has spellbound us since September 11, 2001. I am not saying to let down our guard or not be prudent with our Law enforcement, Intelligence agencies or Military as their constant job is to protect the American people and they do it well. Rationally speaking it is more likely that a person will be killed in a car accident on the way to get milk than killed by a Terrorist in America. Hispanics coming across our border for work are not the terrorist or the enemy. Unfair trade practices initiated by our government are the cause of our jobs leaving and the demise of the Middle Class in America not some Terrorist plot. Political Parties have been using fear in an attempt to maintain power in this country. Americans do the math you are more likely to do yourself bodily harm than to be harmed by a Terrorist. America is a Land of Opportunity and hopes where people live in Freedom. America is not a land were people will be governed by Fear.

Michael C. Boetjer
Captain U. S. Army
Double Blue Star Father

[agnim]

Can we make a "Great Wall of USA" instead of a mere fence? LOL

Won't those 'coyotes' just dig under a mere 'fence'? LOL

Let's seek to outdo the Chinese for posterity.