Posted on 10/04/2006 8:19:08 PM PDT by axes_of_weezles
Cornyn: 700 miles of border fence won't happen Senator says plan isn't practical, doesn't have the necessary funds.
By Eunice Moscoso WASHINGTON BUREAU Wednesday, October 04, 2006
WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and key liaison to the White House on immigration, said Tuesday that 700 miles of fencing approved by Congress for the United States' southern border will probably not be built because of a lack of money and other practical considerations. "It's one thing to authorize. It's another thing to actually appropriate the money and do it," he said.
Cornyn predicted that some fencing would be built as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes more Border Patrol agents, more technology, more detention facilities and various physical barriers.
"There's different kinds of fencing. . . . There's the old fence post and barbed wire, and then there's the virtual fence, which is a combination of physical barriers, people and technology, and I think, in the end, that will probably be how this is addressed," he said.
Cornyn added that 700 miles of fencing would not solve the problem of illegal immigration because it would still leave about 1,300 miles of unfenced border.
"I'm not sure that's the most practical use of that money," he said.
In many border areas, the federal government would have to figure out how to compensate land owners for the property used for the fence, which raises a lot of practical questions, he said.
In addition, residents in the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso and South Texas are concerned that a fence could harm legal trade and commerce back and forth across the border, which is key to jobs and the economy in those areas, he said.
Cornyn defended the Senate vote for the fencing, saying it was a symbolic gesture to show that Congress is serious about protecting the border.
The Senate cleared the bill late Friday, and President Bush has said he would sign it. But Congress approved only $1.2 billion for fencing, barriers and other infrastructure in a separate homeland security measure. Estimates for the 700 miles range from $2 billion to $7 billion.
Also Tuesday, the 7-year-old son of an illegal immigrant and community leader made a plea to President Bush to halt deportation hearings for his mother, Elvira Arellano.
Arellano made national headlines in August when she refused to surrender for deportation and took refuge in a Methodist church in Chicago. On Friday, a federal judge refused her latest attempt to remain in the country.
The boy, Saul Arellano, was a guest at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute conference.
At a press conference, the boy held up a letter he said he wrote to Bush asking for a meeting.
"I want you to know that there are more than 3 million children like me. We are U.S. citizens, but the government is taking away our mothers and fathers," the letter said.
White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said that the White House received the letter and will review it but that all individual immigration matters are referred to the Department of Homeland Security.
emoscoso@coxnews.com
Additional material from staff writer Tara Copp.
I KNEW that was coming : )
Well, DUH!
Who didn't know that they'd not fund it in the first place?
Just an election year gimmick!
Cornyn is right. How can they possibly build a Bridge to Nowhere for every Senator AND build a border fence?
I think we should build a fence between Mr Cornyn and another term in the Senate.
"And subject to the jurisdiction thereof."
That, my friend is the kink in the line and the phrase which must be re-interpreted.
Awww, ya beat me to it!
There will be hell to pay if the fence is not built.
If they can spend $30 billion a year on education and "the arts," then surely they have enough money for a fence.
Hey, I thought that was BajaOklahoma!!
Why is he a dumba*s? He's right. 700 miles of fence isn't crap. It's a gesture at best. And it probably will never be funded anyway.
They have to find and fund it, and not take it from the hide of the National Guard, or the Military.
Yea, lets spend a billion on a bridge to nowhere, but cannot find the money to implement the people's will. Creeps!
its a start, and that 700 miles should free up those agents currently patrolling said 700 miles..
"He's right. 700 miles of fence isn't crap. It's a gesture at best. And it probably will never be funded anyway."
Some people just can't take Plain Talking TEXANS..it makes them nervous. Cornyn should be considered for our next Republican Presidential Primary. He is smart as a tack, well spoken, well reasoned, and knows how to kick ass without lifting a finger in a debate......lol
It's not gonna be built ET. The funding won't get approved.
sheesh... need to start kicking some people out of office i guess.
Actually he could be Tom Coburn's running mate. LOL.
Novak has endorsed Coburn....
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