Posted on 09/29/2006 7:40:28 PM PDT by The Spirit Of Allegiance
Edited on 09/29/2006 7:52:46 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The House version of the bill approving and funding the building of a U.S./Mexico border wall has overwhelmingly passed the Senate, according to KFI News.
Link to station provided.
UPDATE: Senate backs fence along Mexico border
Reuters
By Donna Smith and Richard Cowan
The U.S. Senate on Friday overwhelmingly agreed to authorize construction of a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico, sending to President George W. Bush before the November 7 elections a bill that Republicans hope will showcase their efforts to stop illegal immigration.
The Republican-written bill authorizing construction of about 700 miles of fence was one of the last bills to clear Congress as lawmakers prepared to leave Washington to campaign for the congressional elections. On a vote of 80-19 the Senate approved the bill already passed by the House of Representatives and it now goes to Bush for his signature.
Bush had sought broad immigration legislation that would create a guest-worker program to help provide a steady workforce for jobs Americans are either unable or unwilling to do. But he was unable to marshal support for it in the face of opposition from a solid group of House Republicans who pushed for tougher enforcement and border measures instead.
A separate bill approved by the House on Friday provided an initial $1.2 billion in funding for the fence and other border-security measures for the fiscal year that begins Oct 1. The money is part of a $34.8 billion bill for domestic security programs for the fiscal year that begins October 1.
The broad spending bill also criminalizes the construction of tunnels that could be secret passageways from Mexico or Canada for drug smugglers, illegal aliens or terrorists.
The Senate was expected to pass the funding bill quickly and send it on to Bush along with the fence authorization.
Opponents of the fence said it would be expensive and was not an effective deterrent to illegal immigration.
"This is a political gimmick," said Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democrat from Colorado. "It is not in the long-term interest of of the United States of America and the Western Hemisphere."
The government of Mexico on Thursday issued a statement expressing "its profound concern" with the fence. The statement, translated from Spanish, said such measures "are contrary to the spirit of cooperation that should prevail to guarantee security in the common border."
IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL
Backers of the fence said it was an important tool to clamp down against illegal immigration. An estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in the last fiscal year trying to cross into the United States along the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Sections of the fence would be built in each state.
"Fortifying our borders is the first prong of comprehensive immigration reform and it's an integral piece of national security," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
Lawmakers and analysts say Congress could tackle comprehensive immigration legislation in a post-election sessions, but they acknowledge difficulties.
"It will be tough but doable," said Rep. Adam Putnam (news, bio, voting record), a Florida Republican.
"There is a lot of pent up pressure and interest in doing something in the lame duck session," said Craig Regelbrugge of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform.
Democrats accused the Republican majority of playing politics with the fence bill after raising immigration as an election-year issue but having little to show in the way of legislation.
"This is about November. This is about incumbent protection, not about border protection," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Earlier this year the Senate passed broad immigration legislation that combined border security and employer sanctions with a plan to create a guest-worker program and provide a path to citizenship for many of the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.
The Senate and House were unable to compromise and instead resorted to passing a series narrow border security measures.
Please see my #382. I found, read, and posted HR6061. It is good legislation. It protects-get this-ALL of our borders. The initial media reports incorrectly portrayed the legislation as only targeting the Mexican border, and only involving a fence. My contention that existing treaties protect the movement of US nationals and goods throughout all of Mexico (not just one area) stands. We can protect our borders and continue commerce and trade. This crow is not fun to eat, but I am choking it down. OK?
Thanks..... I wasn't understanding your treaty concept.
Showing your astonishing low IQ again, are you Lurker?
Actually I support a fence and if you read my posts in this thread you would have known that. My problem is that it took so long and the threat of losing power for Republicans to pass the bill.
But, given your view on Constitutional Law, you should be opposed to this since Congress does not have the explicit power to fund a border fence.
Try not to sprain your knee jerking it around like that.
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;
You really are a glutton for punishment.
L
Article IV outlines States' rights, not the enumerated Congressional powers.
C'mon Lurker, be consistent. You claimed that since Congress does not have explicit power to promote research, NASA funding is unconstitutional. Just keeping you honest about your position.
Wins the most wrong post of the month.
This is amazing news. It will all but secure Republican victories this November and in 2008.
You beat me to it. 8^)
I doubt that. But it helps. All the more reason to think this is just politics, not policy.
Doesn't really matter at this point. Something has to be done. Now we are on our way to a solution that is humane and legal.
I think you misunderstood my post # 88. I was telling CWJackson that if (huge if) the democrats controlled congress and make a bill to stop the fence then the President will veto the bill. Again it is not going to happen, so I do not worry about it at all.
"700 miles of fence
700 miles ain't enough.
"If true, that should quiet down some of the naysayers.
Not really, unless and until the 3rd world illegal aliens are sent back to the country they came from and kept there through a longer more effective wall.
Actually what I was referring to was the naysayers a couple weeks ago that said the Congress can pass the bill to make people happy with the election coming up but they'll never fund it. They were wrong.
I agree we need more than 700 miles but this will be a good start and it has to start somewhere
"Actually what I was referring to was the naysayers a couple weeks ago that said the Congress can pass the bill to make people happy with the election coming up but they'll never fund it. They were wrong.
Gotcha!
Thanks for the elaboration.
80 in favor is much better than I expected. Only 19 opposed.
Ah, Cantwell and Murray -- Washington's shame. Right in there with Kerry and Reid. Sheesh.....
maybe then they'll get serious
finally , we get a little crumb that fell from the congressional table
Native Texan is ok, too. But you need to carry a birth cirtificate to a bar if you trot out that term during shots.
I think we've come up with T-shirt Texan for transplants that like being here, so it's not really terribly derogatory.
The problem is with those that have moved here for lower taxes, weather, southern hospitality, etc, and are actively involved in changing all that. I guess they're just the latest carpetbaggers.
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