Replies

Political goals are not achieved by fillbustering the other guy's bill. Please spare me the usual overly emotion bluster this week. I have no more patients for the childish posturing and macho boy 'Net warrior sloganeering that is used in place of reason on this issue. Everyone knows FULL well building the 700 miles of fence is NOT going to solve the problem that got you Antis all riled up in the 1st place. So please, try addressing the point ONE time instead of merely posting your usual emotional knee jerk responses. It getting really old the way you simply ignore any facts that do not simply validate your emotional dogma on this issue.

To start with. You been in the Govt. It is utterly absurd to expect the US Govt to build you a billion worth of fence in 6 months. NOTHING the Govt does is every done without about a zillion meetings and “studies”. It took over 60 days for the US Govt to FINALLY get some troops deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2001! And that was war!

The US Fed Govt is just incredibly cumbersome when ever it trys to do anything. That is just painful reality. Going into hysteric and screaming about mythical foes out to sabatouge the fence is pure demagogary. The Fence bill JUST got signed into law 8 months ago!!!! So calm down. This political demagoguery on the Fence is just pure self serving political drivel as anyone who bothers to actually think, instead of just emote, on this issue knows

Now HERE is my point. RESPOND to this one time instead of merely reposing your pre programed responses.

Right now we are back to maintaining the status quo on the border. That is SUPPOSE to be the reason we “have to do something about the border” because the status quo is “Destroying the country”

Here is how this issue developed.

Some on the Right screamed for years “We got to do something about the border, Illegals are destroying the country”.

So DC been trying to do somethings. It hasn’t been 100% acceptable to either side but it tired. So far nothing has got done. So that means, the status quo is still in place. The same status quo which is suppose to be the reason DC needs to do something right this very second about Illegals.

Last week you fillbustered a bad bill, you did NOTHING to fix the problems you all have been raging about for years. Merely preventing the other guy from winning is NOT the same thing as winning the war.

Let's implement the Secure Fence Act of 2006 , which was passed by the senate 80-19 and included yes votes by Hillary, Obama, Biden, Dodd, Boxer, Schumer, McCain, Brownback, Martinez, and Specter.

1) Did anyone ask Chertoff about this PUBLIC LAW (text below) on the Sunday Shows, this morning? (I'm with dirtboy and Rodguy on this--I don't like to watch most of these shows, because replacing broken TVs is expensive;

2) Does anyone know what the status is of the Section 5 (b) report?

Text of law (from US GPO website

[DOCID: f:publ367.109]

[[Page 2637]]

SECURE FENCE ACT OF 2006

[[Page 120 STAT. 2638]]

Public Law 109-367

109th Congress

An Act

. To establish operational control over the international land and maritime borders of the United States. <>

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress <> assembled, SECTION 1. <> SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Secure Fence Act of 2006''. SEC. 2. <> ACHIEVING OPERATIONAL CONTROL ON THE BORDER.

(a) <> In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take all actions the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate to achieve and maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States, to include the following--

(1) systematic surveillance of the international land and maritime borders of the United States through more effective use of personnel and technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based sensors, satellites, radar coverage, and cameras; and

(2) physical infrastructure enhancements to prevent unlawful entry by aliens into the United States and facilitate access to the international land and maritime borders by United States Customs and Border Protection, such as additional checkpoints, all weather access roads, and vehicle barriers.

(b) Operational Control Defined.--In this section, the term ``operational control'' means the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.

(c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made toward achieving and maintaining operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States in accordance with this section.

SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF FENCING AND SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS IN BORDER AREA FROM PACIFIC OCEAN TO GULF OF MEXICO.

Section 102(b) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-208; 8 U.S.C. 1103 note) is amended--

[[Page 120 STAT. 2639]]

(1) in the subsection heading by striking ``Near San Diego, California''; and

(2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:

``(1) Security features.-- ``(A) Reinforced fencing.--In carrying out subsection (a), 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-- ``(i) extending from 10 miles west of the Tecate, California, port of entry to 10 miles east of the Tecate, California, port of entry; ``(ii) extending from 10 miles west of the Calexico, California, port of entry to 5 miles east of the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry; ``(iii) extending from 5 miles west of the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry to 10 miles east of El Paso, Texas; ``(iv) extending from 5 miles northwest of the Del Rio, Texas, port of entry to 5 miles southeast of the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry; and ``(v) extending 15 miles northwest of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry. ``(B) Priority areas.-- With <> respect to the border described-- ``(i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall ensure that an interlocking surveillance camera system is installed along such area by May 30, 2007, and that fence construction is completed by May 30, 2008; and ``(ii) in subparagraph (A)(v), the Secretary shall ensure that fence construction from 15 miles northwest of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to 15 southeast of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry is completed by December 31, 2008. ``(C) Exception.--If the topography of a specific area has an elevation grade that exceeds 10 percent, the Secretary may use other means to secure such area, including the use of surveillance and barrier tools.''.

SEC. 4. NORTHERN BORDER STUDY.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall conduct a study on the feasibility of a state of-the-art infrastructure security system along the northern international land and maritime border of the United States and shall include in the study--

(1) the necessity of implementing such a system;

(2) the feasibility of implementing such a system; and

(3) the economic impact implementing such a system will have along the northern border.

(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that contains the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).

[[Page 120 STAT. 2640]]

SEC. 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT RELATING TO CUSTOMS AUTHORITY TO STOP CERTAIN FLEEING VEHICLES.

(a) Evaluation.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall--

(1) evaluate the authority of personnel of United States Customs and Border Protection to stop vehicles that enter the United States illegally and refuse to stop when ordered to do so by such personnel, compare such Customs authority with the authority of the Coast Guard to stop vessels under section 637 of title 14, United States Code, and make an assessment as to whether such Customs authority should be expanded;

(2) review the equipment and technology available to United States Customs and Border Protection personnel to stop vehicles described in paragraph (1) and make an assessment as to whether or not better equipment or technology is available or should be developed; and

(3) evaluate the training provided to United States Customs and Border Protection personnel to stop vehicles described in paragraph (1).

(b) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that contains the results of the evaluation conducted under subsection (a).

Approved October 26, 2006.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 6061:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 152 (2006):

Sept. 14, considered and passed House.

Sept. 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, considered and passed Senate.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 42 (2006):

Oct. 26, Presidential remarks.