Pre-election Border Security Push Underway

(September 14) By a vote of 283-138-1, the House today passed a stand-alone border fencing bill (H.R. 6061) sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY). excerpt..... This action is an outgrowth of the summer-long series of field hearings which led House GOP leaders to conclude that the public is demanding an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform prior to the election.

House overwhelmingly approves 700 miles of border fence (with a third of Democrats supporting)

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS -- AND GOOD POLITICS

A few minutes ago, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a stand-alone border security and fence bill (H.R. 6061).

H.R. 6061 was introduced just this week (as a result of the special hearings) by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY).

VOTING YES GOP----219 DEM-----64 ---------------------- Total----283

VOTING NO GOP------6 DEM----131 IND------1 ---------------------- Total----138

See how your own Representative voted at:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll446.xml

Probably the most encouraging news in this vote was to see 64 Democrats vote for the fence.

That is up from the 49 who voted for a fence amendment last December.

That happened even though Democratic Leaders have tried to cast any attempt at more enforcement this fall as nothing more than political grandstanding that avoids what they consider the most important immigration reform (legalization of illegal aliens). And, really, there is no question that Speaker of the House Hastert is pushing these enforcement measures as a political ploy to show that the Republicans deserve to keep the majority in the House. So, the 64 Democrats had to have a very, very strong sense of pressure to go along with Hastert (R-IL).

Thanks to all of you who have been creating that constant pressure.

That should be a lesson for those of you who live in Districts represented by Democrats. Many of you have expressed frustration and resignation that no amount of faxing or phone calls will ever move your Member into immigration responsibility and away from Democratic Leader Pelosi's open borders platform.

But one-third of all Democrats broke with Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) on this vote!

Now what?

One of our NumbersUSA Capitol Hill Team, Jim Edwards, says: "No guarantee the Senate will move this as stand-alone bill. It's at this point a shot across the bow, the first of several to come."

Another of our Team, Van Esser, says: "Yes, no guarantee, but Senate Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) has said he will consider such stand alone bills. We'll need to pressure the Senate."

You can be sure that NumbersUSA will help guide you in your pressure on the Senate -- and also give you opportunity to praise or condemn your Representative for today's border vote. Just keep checking your Action Buffet corkboard at:

www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet

One idea that Speaker Hastert and his leadership team has is that by passing this stand-alone fence bill right now they are giving their Conference negotiators on various appropriations bills a clear reason to try to add the bill to those bills.

The vote today greatly improves the chances that the money will be voted this fall to start major fence building along the Mexican border.

This is the analysis of H.R. 6061 by NumbersUSA Hill Team member Mark Wills

H.R. 6061 (Peter King)

1. would direct DHS to achieve and maintain “operational control” of our borders within 18 months of enactment;

2. would require annual reports from DHS to Congress regarding the progress made toward achieving and maintaining operational control over all international borders;

3. would require DHS to provide for at least two layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in five specified lengths (encompassing approximately 700 miles) along the United States’ southwestern border, with a specified span of border near Laredo, Texas required to be fenced by December 31, 2008;

4. would require surveillance cameras to be installed in the designated locations by May 30, 2007, and fence construction in those areas to be completed by May 30, 2008;

5. would allow other means of security (e.g., surveillance, etc.) if the topography of a specific area has an elevation grade exceeding 10 percent;

6. would require DHS to study – and report to Congress within one year of enactment on – the potential construction of a barrier system along the northern land and maritime borders, and requires the study to include the necessity of constructing such a barrier system as well as the feasibility of construction;

7. would require DHS to evaluate Customs and Border Protection’s authority to stop vehicles that enter the United States illegally and refuse to stop when ordered to do so by CBP personnel, and to review resouces available and CBP training related to stop illegally-entering vehicles.

Let me just remind you of the way that Border Security has been moved from backburner to frontburner status.

On the vote today:

Republicans were virtually unanimous in our favor. 97.3% of Republicans voted with us 2.7% of Republicans voted against us

Democrats were badly split over this Border issue. 32.7% of Democrats voted with us 66.8% of Democrats voted against us

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