[Eagle of Liberty]

Not...only a down payment.

What are you talking about? The 2007 DHS Appropriations Act (HR5441) does the following:

- authorizes $362 million for the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator (US-VISIT) project, with $200 million on hold until officials provide Senate and House Appropriations Committees an expenditure plan for the funds.

- a total of $7.4 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including $1.2 billion for fencing and other barriers along the border, and funding for 1,500 new Border Patrol agents; $3.9 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and $181 million for US Citizenship and Immigration services (USCIS).

Legislators inserted some flexibility into the border fence legislation in last-minute negotiations before the September 29 passage of the two bills. The DHS appropriations act was altered to allow the Bush administration flexibility in using the money not only for a physical fence, but also for roads, technology, and tactical infrastructure to support the type of "virtual fence" pushed by the president.

Further, GOP congressional leaders promised in a letter inserted into the Congressional Record that American Indian tribes, members of Congress, and local governments would be consulted in determining the exact placement of fencing, and that DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff would have discretion over whether to use alternative tactics in places where fencing was deemed ineffective or impractical.

Links:
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=491

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h5441enr.txt.pdf

[Earthdweller]

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the fence will cost $3.2 million a mile, Congress voted to hand DHS just $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2007 for construction. DHS needs to use half of it for other purposes besides the fence like technology and roadways. With say half of the 3.2 left what do you get...a little over 150 miles of fence? It's a down payment on 700 miles pal ....and you ain't getting no more now.