Our Borders Pose National Security Risk

The situation at our borders is a threat to national security. Thousands enter our country illegally each year. Some border crossers seek to take advantage of American opportunity to create a better life. Others, however, come to exploit American openness to do us harm. It is not at all far-fetched to assume terrorists may try to infiltrate our nation as a part of the stream of migrants, criminals and drugs flowing through our porous borders. Regardless of their intent, we must respond to unlawful border crossings with swift action.

That's why I introduced S. 2454, the Securing America's Borders Act. This bill will enhance our border defenses through increased personnel and technology and improve interior enforcement by making it easier for employers to verify the immigration status of new hires.

Republicans have already taken steps to protect our borders. Last year, we passed legislation to increase border protection funding by $883 million and hire 1,000 new border control agents. Since 2000, Republicans have increased funding for border security by 60 percent, including enough additional money to increase the border patrol by 30 percent.

But we need to do more. The legislation I introduced would add nearly 15,000 additional border agents to supplement the 20,000 Customs and Border Protection agents already on the job.

Border patrol agents serve as the first line of defense against unlawful entry. As such, they need the most advanced resources available to maintain the integrity of our borders. My bill would begin the process of building a 1,951-mile long virtual barrier across every inch of our border with Mexico. In the most high-traffic areas, border crossers attempting to slip into the country would be met with walls and fences. Low traffic areas would be monitored with sensors. My bill also provides for new investments in aerial vehicles and cameras to ensure that there are no weak points along the border. This technology will provide a great boost to the efforts of our border protection professionals.

Those who facilitate and profit from illegal border crossings will face stiffer penalties under my bill. The legislation creates tough new penalties for human smugglers, people who forge border-crossing documents, and those who engage in sham marriages.

Because so many illegal immigrants come to our country to work, the nation's employers also have a role to play in enforcing immigration laws. There is currently a pilot program in place that allows employers to verify the immigration status of prospective employees. My bill would expand this electronic database so that employers will have a quick, reliable way to ensure they only hire individuals who are citizens or legal residents.

Throughout our history, immigrants have enriched American culture immeasurably. As a nation of immigrants, America has always welcomed those who come here legally seeking a better life in the tradition and spirit of generations of Americans from pilgrims to pioneers. But it is imperative that our borders be secured to preserve the safety and security of the American people.

I look forward to bringing a border security bill to the floor this week and allowing the Senate to start work on border security and interior law enforcement, as well as comprehensive immigration reform, so that America is more secure and our constituents are safer.

"Border Reality 101"

This is what most of our southern border looks like: there is no government-built fence at all. There is often just whatever is left over from some forgotten cattle fence, built privately to keep U.S. cattle from wandering freely into Mexico. For hundreds of miles there is not even a broken cattle fence, there is nothing at all.

For comparison, below the broken cattle fence photo is a sample of an inexpensive but highly effective double border fence system, with a plowed strip to reveal footprints. This type of system is very cheap and can be built with great speed.

Here is what some of San Diego County has: a wall made of rusty Viet Nam-era runway mats. The corrugations are even horizontal, (to make climbing easier?) The illegals in this photo were spotted by unexpected civilian volunteers, and jumped back over the border.

Here is what the border looks like where the runway mat wall exists. Mexico begins on the other side of the ineffective rusty wall, which actually helps the smugglers, by hiding their movements until the occasional USBP vehicle has driven out of sight.

This is how "the game" is played. Smugglers hide on the other side of the wall with their dope and/or their illegals, out of sight of the USBP. They wait for the highly visible white BP vehicle to drive over the distant hills. Lookouts with cell phones and walkie-talkies report on the current locations of the BP units. They know with certainty that "the coast is clear" for an hour or two, and the smugglers and illegals hop the fence and run into the scrub only 50 yards away. From there, they are out of sight, and they walk 1-2 miles to holding houses. Then they wait for nightfall, and are picked up and driven in vans to LA or San Diego.

Next, we see the Duncan Hunter 15' fence, which is already being built along a few "showplace" miles of San Diego, mainly near the ports of entry, where panderng politicians can conveniently show it off to gullible reporters. The House has approved building 700 miles of it, which would be a great start. As you can see, the rusty runway wall is seen at the left side, Mexico begins on the other side. In areas with the 15 foot fence, dope smugglers and illegals will have to cross the open sand ("the government road" as it is called) before starting to try to get over the 15 foot fence.

This new fence is extremely tough, and resists cutting. Attacking the fence would have to be done right out in the open, in full view of cameras. This type of fence, on the U.S. side of the government road, will give the USBP a barrier to patrol, instead of forcing them to chase illegals around 100,000 square miles of wide-open frontier land, which is a fool's errand. Everywhere this modern multiple fence system has been built, crossings by illegals drop to almost nil.

This ain't rocket science, folks. We're not talking about something like the Hoover Dam project, (which we managed to build 70 years ago). The world's last superpower, which put a man on the moon 35 years ago, can build a couple thousand miles of simple and effective fencing.

This is how it's being built in San Diego county, along the last 14 miles out to the ocean. The total cost of the entire fence from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific would be about 5 billion dollars, or what we spend medicating, hospitalizing, educating, and incarcerating illegal aliens just about every month. In other words, the fence would pay for itself immediately.

Or, we can continue our current policy.

This is what President Bush said on March 25, 2006

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060325.html

"Comprehensive immigration reform begins with securing our borders."

"To keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of America."

"One thing the temporary worker program would not do is provide
amnesty to those who are in our country illegally."

Look for the Impeach Bush t-shirt in this post
by Ladycalif

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1603387/posts?page=3#3

This sets the stage for the Dim's to be defeated in
even more 2006 and 2008 elections!

Any REAL Conservative knows the success
of the 2006 and 2008 elections
is electing those who secure our borders
and enforce the law of the land!

President Bush has set the example and
ensured a sweep in '06 and '08!

Only the looney left and the wrong rino's
would support illegal immigration
and amnesty for those who are in our country illegally!

Time for the real conservatives on FR,
be it Republicans, Independents or Democrats
(like Zell Miller and John O'Neill) to band together
and oust the looney left and RINO's

President's Radio Address March 25, 2006

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060325.html

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Monday, I will attend a
naturalization ceremony here in Washington. It's always inspiring to
watch a group of immigrants raise their hands and swear an oath to
become citizens of the United States of America. These men and women
follow in the footsteps of millions who've come to our shores seeking
liberty and opportunity, and America is better off for their hard
work and love of freedom.

America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws.
And our immigration laws are in need of reform. So at Monday's
ceremony, I will discuss my vision for comprehensive immigration
reform that will secure our borders, improve enforcement of our
immigration laws, and uphold our values.

Comprehensive immigration reform begins with securing our borders.
Since I took office, we've increased funding for border security by
66 percent, and the Department of Homeland Security has caught and
sent home nearly 6 million illegal immigrants. To improve security at
the border, we're hiring thousands more Border Patrol agents. We're
deploying new technology, like infrared cameras and unmanned aerial
vehicles, to help our agents do their job. And we're installing
physical barriers to entry, like fences in urban areas.

We're also working to end the unwise practice of catch-and-release.
For decades, many illegal immigrants were released back into society
soon after they were caught, because we did not have enough detention
space. So we're adding more beds so we can hold the people we catch,
and we're reducing the time it takes to send them back home. When
illegal immigrants know they will be caught and sent home, they will
be less likely to break the rules, and our immigration system will be
more orderly and secure. We're making good progress, but we have much
more work ahead, and we will not be satisfied until we have control
of our border.

Comprehensive immigration reform also includes strengthening the
enforcement of our laws in America's interior. Since I took office,
we've increased funding for immigration enforcement by 42 percent.
We're increasing the number of immigration enforcement agents and
criminal investigators, enhancing work site enforcement, and going
after smugglers and gang members and human traffickers.

Finally, comprehensive immigration reform requires a temporary worker
program that will relieve pressure on our borders. This program would
create a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing
American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do. By
reducing the number of people trying to sneak across the border, we
would free up our law enforcement officers to focus on criminals and
drug dealers and terrorists and others who mean us harm.

One thing the temporary worker program would not do is provide
amnesty to those who are in our country illegally. I believe that
granting amnesty would be unfair, because it would allow those who
break the law to jump ahead of people who play by the rules and wait
in the citizenship line. Amnesty would also be unwise, because it
would encourage waves of illegal immigration, increase pressure on
the border, and make it more difficult for law enforcement to focus
on those who mean us harm. For the sake of justice and for the sake
of border security, I firmly oppose amnesty.

In the coming days, the United States Senate plans to consider
proposals on immigration reform. This is an emotional debate. America
does not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a
lawful society. We can be both at the same time. As we debate the
immigration issue, we must remember there are hard-working
individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do, who are
contributing to the economic vitality of our country.

To keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of America.
We must also ensure that immigrants assimilate into our society and
learn our customs and values -- including the English language. By
working together, we can meet our duty to fix our immigration system
and deliver a bill that protects our country, upholds our laws, and
makes our Nation proud.

Thank you for listening.

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