Sen. Ben Nelson
Posted on 03/04/2006 6:50:54 AM PST by Hat-Trick
Nelson wants to fence off Mexico
BY HENRY J. CORDES
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
There's a growing consensus in Washington that before Congress can address comprehensive immigration reform, it must first crack down at the nation's borders, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson said Friday.
Sen. Ben Nelson
Nelson this week introduced a new border security bill, one that would go even further than the proposal he first outlined in September.
Among the provisions added since September is the construction of a $5 billion, two-layer reinforced fence that would stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico along the 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
The latest bill also includes a requirement that all employers verify that their workers are in the country legally and adds 10,000 new detention beds to hold those found in violation of federal immigration laws.
"It's a border-security-first bill," Nelson, a Democrat, said at an Omaha press conference.
"If we don't do something about the border, the problem is going to get worse."
Nelson introduced his latest bill on the same day the Senate Judiciary Committee began work on an immigration reform proposal. Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, has asked for a bill to be ready for debate by the full Senate later this month.
Nelson said the problem with most immigration proposals introduced to date is that they get bogged down over what to do with the estimated 10 million people already in the United States illegally.
There is much disagreement over that, from calls to deport them to various proposals to create amnesty or guest worker programs.
"A huge bill with guest workers or amnesty is going nowhere," he said.
Nelson said it will be possible to bring more people together if the issue of border security is addressed first.
A Nelson spokesman said the senator's bill is the only one in the Senate that includes provisions for a fence, though there have been other fence proposals in the House.
Nelson's bill is co-sponsored by two Republicans, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
While the cost of the fence might be high, Nelson said, it's modest compared to the cost of dealing with illegal immigration.
He said he didn't think his proposal would hurt companies in Nebraska that have come to rely on labor from undocumented workers. Nelson said efforts to stop illegal immigration should be accompanied by steps to increase legal immigration.
Overall, he said, his proposal would "solve the border security problem where it starts - at the border."
Nelson's Nebraska colleague, Chuck Hagel, is among the senators who have introduced bills for comprehensive immigration reform.
Hagel has advocated legislation that would give legal status to undocumented immigrant workers under certain conditions, such as maintaining a work history in America for several years and passing security and criminal background checks.
Asked about Nelson's security-fence proposal, Hagel said he makes a distinction between immigration reform and border security.
"I'm generally not in favor of building walls," he said.
This story includes material from the Associated Press.
not quite... it isn't a matter of what the public wants, it is what the constitution allows and prohibits. otherwise, yes.
Exactly, this is what makes me very angry.
You have people sworn to uphold the constitution, deliberately doing everything they can to subvert and/or not enforce the immigration laws.
Even worse, they then have the *GALL* to attack people who want nothing more than the enforcement of the laws on the books as "racists", "bigots", or the new cant word, "nativists".
And cap it off, these same people will give stern us lectures about how we must obey some off-the-wall judical ruling because of the "rule of law".
"Oh well, research(and common sense) means nothing to some on FR."
LOL. You must be looking in the mirror.
BTW, Ronald Reagan liked walls, he had one around his ranch. It keep out wild animals, illegal aliens, and liberals.
A fence is better than nothing but a mine field is what's really needeed.
"The INS then tried a kinder, gentler means of enforcing the law, which fared no better. Rather than outright raids on individual employers, Operation Vanguard in 1998-99 sought to identify illegal workers at all meatpacking plants in Nebraska through audits of personnel records, The INS then asked to interview those employees who appeared to be unauthorized the illegals ran off. The procedure was remarkable successful..... Governor Johaanns organized a task force to oppose the operation; the meatpackers and rancher hired former governor Ben Nelson to lobby on their behalf; and Senator Hagel pressured the Justice Department to stop the operation
The trouble in Nebraska is that there are some very strong conservatives (Pete Ricketts) getting ready to run against Nelson that I'll have to vote for. If that happens, and Ricketts takes Nelson's seat, I'm hoping that Nelson will come back to run against Hagel. I'd vote for him. If Ricketts doesn't beat Nelson - I'm hoping he'll come back for a primary run against Hagel.
The meat-packing and agriculture lobby (Con-Agra, Cargill, et. al) put ALOT of money into the campaigns and PACs of everyone mentioned in the National Review article. Think of the influence they now have with Johanns as Sec. of Agriculture.
I suspected as much. I was just pointing out Senator Nelson's hypocrisy.
Calling for border fences while obstructing internal enforcement is totally cynical.
No one is entitled to enter this country -- especially post 9/11 -- anonymously. Let us democratically settle whether legal immigration should be increased or not.
Looking the other way while people come here illegally, then trying to make them legal after the fact is a patently UN-democratic way to decide this issue.
It's good to see that some of our elected representatives are listening to the American people.
Reagan wasn’t against mine fields to keep people out of countries they didn’t belong in. He kept and expanded the mine field between North and South Korea. I’ll stick with Reagan’s plan for keeping people out.
Texas, Arizona, CA, and NM aren't the only states with the problems!
Anyone who still subscribes to the notion that illegal immigration is only a border state problem is either ignorant or stupid.
One is curable, the other is terminal.
Having a debate with Daniac will only be a waste of your energy.
So9
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Be Ever Vigilant!
Maybe one of those strong conservatives will run against Hagel in the primary.
I'm not debating him, I'm letting him know how little esteem I have for his whiney a$$ed opinions.
A Mexican wall might serve the purpose of forcing the Mexican government to deal with the needs of its people. Emigration is an escape valve for a population under pressure.
Yes, it is the ultimate irony that policies favored by people like Dane will hurt Mexican immigrants more in the long run, since the relief valve we are providing for Mexico will only prolong the corruption, poverty, and suffering in that country. We are doing Mexican immigrants no favors by not enforcing our borders.
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