Posted on 10/04/2006 8:51:11 AM PDT by radar101
During a campaign swing through Arizona, President Bush plans to sign a bill that could bring hundreds of miles of fencing to the busiest illegal entry point on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The signing will be another move in Bush's get-tough approach to illegal immigration and will come in the state that has been the illegal entry hot spot for several years and the center of much of the debate over secure borders.
Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano was expected to be present for the bill signing Wednesday at the Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley. The ceremony will follow a breakfast fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi, a Republican seeking a third term from Arizona's sprawling 1st District.
Included in the Homeland Security funding measure Bush plans to sign is $1.2 billion for border security spending, including fences and other barriers along the border.
Bush's actions come despite last-minute pleas from the Mexican government for him to veto the bill. In a diplomatic note sent to the United States on Monday, Mexico harshly criticized the Senate vote authorizing 700 miles of new fencing along the border.
The money will also go toward border infrastructure and other security assets and resources that will complement the development of a high-tech virtual fence that DHS announced almost two weeks ago, agency spokesman Russell Knocke said.
DHS awarded a $67 million contract to Boeing Co. to install 28 miles of high-tech fencing along a portion of the Arizona border, including towers with cameras and other sophisticated sensing devices. The $67 million comes from money allocated during the fiscal year that ended Saturday, Knocke said.
The government has said the virtual fence will eventually cover 6,000 miles along the Mexican and Canadian borders in efforts to make them secure. It has not placed a price tag on the project.
"Fencing is an important part of the plan for the urban areas," Knocke said. Physical fencing will be more critical in those settings where undocumented crossers can quickly blend in with crowds of people, he said.
In remote areas, Knocke added, the virtual fencing will be more important in enabling Border Patrol agents to intercept illegal immigrants "on their own terms and in the location of their own choosing."
Mario Martinez, a Border Patrol spokesman in Washington, said no figures were available yet on how much fencing is to be built.
The visit will be Bush's 15th to Arizona as president, and second since a May 18 stop in Yuma to tour the U.S.-Mexican border near San Luis.
"The president has shown that he loves Arizona and the voters ... have stayed with him, they're true supporters, true in their loyalty to him," Renzi said.
Following a day of campaigning in California for Republican candidates, Bush arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday night and stayed at the Camelback Inn.
Resort officials said Bush became the fourth U.S. president to have slept at the Camelback Inn - joining his father, George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
Something has to explain the metamorphosis from pro-illegal"jobs Americans won't do" to border hawk.
"Bush is the single biggest champion of the illegals."
Yep.
No, it's 700 miles long and 3 feet HIGH. :-)
"Bush to sign border fence bill during Ariz. visit"
300 miles of funded 'fencing', national border security, in exchange for what?
Flip flopped on this issue, or take him at his word:
"To secure our border we MUST create a temporary worker program that provides foreign workers a legal and orderly way to enter our country for a limited period of time," Bush said.
"But people in this debate MUST recognize that we will NOT be able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary-worker program." GWB
“This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will NOT stop. To secure the border effectively we MUST reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across," the president said.
"An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive," the president advised Congress in his speech, "because all elements of this problem MUST be addressed together, or NONE of them will be solved at all."
good news
The fence is going to turn into the biggest porkbarrel project of the 21st Century.
In fact it will be a bottomless porkbarrel. I don't think we are going to have to worry about funding.
That line jumped out at me too. I got quite a chuckle out of it.
Dream on...Bush has probably already called his amigo Vicente to assure him that the "fence" will never get built.
Yes, it will.
Because we're going to keep attention on the legislation being put into effect.
If your attitude is so defeatist, why are you bothering to fight amnesty to begin with?
F*** Me-hi-co and whatever they think. They encourage their own citizens to leave their country! What kind of leadership is that?
Let's hope he gives credit to J.D. Hayworth and completely ignores Janet Uhh.. whats her name.
I'm beside myself, I Almost forgot the impact on wandering javelinas, oh, and the utter devastation on women and children.
Ditto that!
I'm one of those who very often writes, e-mails, calls and faxes those useless critters who refuse to represent us, and I consistently vote AGAINST the OBL politicians here in Mexifornia, where they're applauded like they're heroes.
"...and completely ignores Janet Uhh.. whats her name?"
Answer: Gov. Bull-Dike
Actually I wouldn't call the foreign aid "pork" however ill-considered it is.
Pork is something a Congressman or Senator finagles for the benefit of his own district. Boston's Big Dig was big time pork, but by the time it's through the fence will be even bigger. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it.
But like any government project it will end up costing three times what it should.
How many miles of real fences do we get and how many miles of BS virtual fences do we get?
Screw 'em! They should be eternally grateful and show how grateful they are every day, that we have taken in as many of their wayward children as we have. Mexico is a hostile nation.
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