Security First, An alternative to amnesty (Rep. Peter T. King)

NRO ^ | June 20, 2007 | Peter T. King

[IrishMike]

The Senate immigration bill now being resurrected is long on promises and short on actual reforms. Outside of providing amnesty to an estimated 12 million aliens living in the United States illegally, the bill contains little substance. No guarantee for control of our borders. Insufficient fraudulent document protections. No real protections against alien gangs and criminals. And no fixes for our broken visa system. In other words, it is a huge step in the wrong direction, a bill that would reward 12 million lawbreakers and only serve to weaken the security of our nation. To counter this misguided bill, Representative Lamar Smith and I have introduced a workable alternative: the Secure Borders FIRST Act of 2007. Our approach, “Security First,” is based on common-sense principles: no amnesty; mandating operational control of all our borders; actually enforcing our current immigration and worksite laws; mandatory detention of illegal immigrations apprehended along the border; reforming our broken visa system to better enforce our immigration laws and ensure our farmers have the workforce they need; and establishing English as our national language. ....................................................

Our bill, on the other hand, takes concrete steps to secure our borders and put an end to illegal immigration. Our approach mandates that DHS gain operational control of all our borders within the next six years, authorizes additional border-security personnel, requires expedited removal for any illegal aliens apprehended within 100 miles of the border and two weeks of entry, and makes alien street gang members deportable and inadmissible. The bill also includes strong worksite-enforcement provisions and improves security for birth certificates to minimize fraud.

Another key aspect of our bill is reforming the current H-2A visa program regarding temporary agricultural workers. Unlike the Senate approach, applicants to this program would have to be properly documented residents of a foreign country. In order to ensure they do not overstay, the workers would not be allowed to bring family members with them, and a portion of their wages would be held in escrow until they return to their home country. This is in stark contrast to a Senate bill that creates a massive new temporary-worker bureaucracy without taking any steps to reform our current visa system.

The American people understand that, first and foremost, we have to put an end to illegal immigration and gain control of our borders. That is exactly what the King-Smith bill will do. And if Congress is serious about border security, it is time to stop the Senate amnesty bill and take action on the King-Smith legislation.

[ovrtaxt]

The Congress is just dying to do SOMETHING about this. The problem is, it’s not the legislature’s responsibility to enforce the law.

The laws already exist- it’s NOT CONGRESS’S PROBLEM.

[sgtbono2002]

If true this bill certainly makes more sense than the other one. However, IMO, it wont be passed,nor even acted on. It dosnt provide votes for the Democrats.

[doodad]

I know, as if we had NO laws against this invasion. The only thing broken is the lack of will to enforce the law which will not change with another one.

[johnny7]

The only thing broken is the lack of will to enforce the law which will not change with another one.

BTTT

[2ndDivisionVet]

Do we really need more reasons to call our representatives in Washington, D.C.?

Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[tennmountainman]

As much as I like the “ Secure the Borders First” idea. Pete King mentions several laws, one the Fence Bill done in October of 2006 and the increased Boeder Patrol Bill.

My question to Pete King would be? Why haven’t we built the fence?

Why haven’t we hired the border patrol agents?

[doodad]

Do you happen to recall how many agents were promised? I can remember myself.

[IrishMike]

‘In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.’

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

[Travis McGee]

"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?)

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. 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.

[IrishMike]

Excellent post, and I was surprised a little by this ........ “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”.....

I had heard the facts / figures before, but the way you pulled it together was great.

[Travis McGee]

Thank! I try....

[DumpsterDiver]

We're going to have to keep our eyes on twerps like Raul Grijalva. He's introduced a borderlands "conservation" bill that would hinder the building of any border fence. Here's a portion of the bill.

The Borderlands Conservation and Security Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)
HR 2593 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. R. 2593
To secure and conserve Federal public lands and natural resources along the international land borders of the United States, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 6, 2007

Mr. GRIJALVA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL
To secure and conserve Federal public lands and natural resources along the international land borders of the United States, and for other purposes.

SNIP

SEC. 5. BORDER BARRIER CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Fencing and Other Barriers on Public Lands- Section 102(b)(1) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-208; 8 U.S.C. 1103 note) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking `the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide for least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors--' and inserting the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, or the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, and State, local, and tribal officials, shall provide for fencing, vehicle barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, sensors, or other surveillance and barrier tools as necessary--';
(2) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking `2007' and inserting `2008'; and
(3) by adding after subparagraph (C) the following new subparagraph:
(D) MANNER OF CONSTRUCTION- In carrying out the requirements of subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, where practicable, prioritize the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, remote cameras, sensors, vehicle barriers, or other low impact border enforcement techniques on lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, or other Federal agencies.'.
(b) Applicability of Existing Laws- Section 102(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1103 note), is repealed.
(c) Federal Lands- In fulfilling the requirements of section 102(b)(1) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 as amended by subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall not commence any construction of fencing on any lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior prior to the submission to Congress by the Secretary of Homeland Security of the Border Protection Strategy mandated by section 4(a) of this Act.

SNIP

Source
thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110YqCypJ::

If the above link doesn't work, go to thomas.loc.gov and search for HR 2593

[gubamyster]

ping

[CPT Clay]

Great post!!!

[BillyBoy]

Lindsey Graham votes with us 90% of the time and against us 10% of the time. Peter King votes with us 60% of the time and against us 40% of the time.

Gotta love how freepers selectly post articles highlighting only the 10% of the votes Graham casts were he's wrong, and only the 60% of votes where King is right.

The distorted picture we get of their records here would be worthy of Soviet style selective news editing.

Conservatives would be in rude awakening if they knew where these guys REALLY stand. Anyone who remembers the Clinton impeachment might have an idea.

[WOSG]

Border fence ping

[tennmountainman]

I want to say 25,000. But I may be wrong.

[tennmountainman]

“Gotta love how freepers selectly post articles highlighting only the 10% of the votes Graham casts were he’s wrong, and only the 60% of votes where King is right.”

I don’t care if Lindsey Graham voted 99% conservative.

If his one vote or 1% vote is to turn over our National Security and Sovernity, he should be tarred and feathered.

There is NO OTHER VOTE as important as a vote for National Security and National Sovernity.

[IrishMike]

Point taken.