Posted on 01/21/2015 3:43:04 PM PST by MarchonDC09122009
New GOP Border Security Bill Removes Border Fences The new border bills drafted by Republican leaders require the actual removal of at least 66 miles of weak border fencing between Mexico and the United States.
The border bills also only require for the construction of 27 miles of effective double-layer fencing along the 2,000-mile border.
It is a remarkable that the direction of our progress is going backwards, from a goal of building 700 miles of double-layer border fencing [in 2006] to only 27 miles [in 2015], said a Hill staffer who opposes the leaders bills.
Where the double-layer fence has been put in, it has worked spectacularly. The public is with us 80, 90 percent on this issue, he added.
Extra fencing would be a waste of money, according to Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The bill matches resources to needs, putting 27 more miles of fencing where fencing is needed, and technology where technology is needed, said the statement.
In our conversations with outside groups, experts and stakeholders, we learned that it would be an inefficient use of taxpayer money to complete the fence. We are using that money to utilize other technology to create a secure border, said the statement.
A House staffer said the McCauls bill doesnt require a major fence because of advocacy by Heritage and Grover Norquists Americans for Tax Reform.
Dan Holler, communications director for Heritage Action for America, told The Daily Caller that Heritage did not recommend against fencing.
ATR has joined with wealthy advocates such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to call for increased use of foreign workers and residency for illegal immigrants.
Senate committee staffers declined to offer any reassurances that Senators would modify the bill to fund more fencing and to block Obamas catch-and-release policy, prior to a Senate vote in a few weeks.
Were going to be looking at everything, said a committee staffer. We cant give any detail beyond that.
The Senate bill is co-sponsored by Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who co-sponsored the Senates 2013 immigration bill.
We introduced the McCaul [House] bill [in the Senate] as is and plan to update and improve it as we study the issue through [House] briefings and hearings, said the staffer, who works for the Senates homeland security committee. The committee is chaired by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.
The public strongly supports a border fence. An April 2013 poll by Rasmussen shows that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters think the United States should continue building a border fence, while 29% disagree. Support for the fence is much higher among the GOP-leaning voters that provided the votes for the GOP victory in November.
A 2006 law required the construction of 700 miles of double-layer fencing along the 2,000 mile border. However, Congress quietly modified the bill in 2008 to allow the construction of simple, ineffective fences in place of the required double-layer fencing.
Officials claim that just over 600 miles of the border now have obstructions, including barriers. But those barriers include lines of bollards to stop vehicles, plus single-layer landing mat fencing and only 36.5 miles of double-layer fencing.
The leaders bills call for the replacement of anti-pedestrian mat fences by anti-vehicle bollards.
The bollards will allow migrants to be driven up to the border, and then walked over to a pick-up vehicle on the U.S. side.
Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall replace, at a minimum, each of the following: (A) Thirty-one miles of landing mat fencing with bollard style fencing in the Border Patrols San Diego sector. (B) Five miles of landing mat fencing with bollard style fencing in the Border Patrols El Centro sector. (C) Three miles of landing mat fencing with bollard style fencing in the Border Patrols Yuma sector. (D) Twenty-five miles of landing mat fencing with bollard style fencing in the Border Patrols Tucson sector. (E) Two miles of landing mat fencing with bollard style fencing in the Border Patrols El Paso sector, says a section on page 12 of the House bill, HR 399.
The GOP will get what the GOP wants. Why would it be any different? Because we’re going to work hard to oust them? Forget that. Even if our guy had more votes than theirs, he wouldn’t be allowed in the capital, or he’d sell out.
Like we know, 54 Republican senators = a hopeless minority.
That image should be sent to every quisling rep that voted for boner. I just emailed it to mine and told him his name belongs right below his...
They were SUPPOSED to do what they come here and SAY they will do every freaking leadup to an election but somehow NEVER find the guts to follow through on.
Vote for a conservative. Now if you ‘feel’ that the GOP is not fully DEMOCRAT these days, you have one hell of a last 2 months to explain away. And after they PROMISED AMNESTY AND WORKING WITH BARRY no less.
And since Barry (look it up) had more ACTUAL CONSERVATIVISM in his elected record than Mitt Romney (Barry was once opposed to homo marriage) on big issues while in office) The most conservative guy actually WON. Isn’t that what FR’s lesser evil types pushed? “The most conservative choice avalable?
It was. That that guy was the DEM should wake people the Freep up...but STILL HASN’T. And they voted for evil regardless. And got it.
Make any excuse you care to. Thats all it is. You could have voted for yourself and didn’t. Instead you voted for a guy that hated Reagan, gave his cash to kill babies, legislated homo marriage and hates the military. Worse, 2 years later, you still try justifying it.
Now find one thing I said above thats not true because after arguing all that for 2 years with GOP apologists, trust me. It IS.
That’s right! They (Repubs) all act tough and pretend like they want what we want, but after the press puts the cameras away, they join the Demoncraps at the steakhouses for dinner and wine. All one big club.
More on this here:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/20/anti-amnesty-leaders-new-house-border-bill-flawed-could-be-bigger-immigration-package-stalking-horse/
Anti-Amnesty Leaders: New House Border Bill Flawed, Could Be Bigger Immigration Package Stalking Horse
A new bill from Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, may be nothing more than a stalking horse for a larger immigration package that House Republican leadership seeks, anti-amnesty leaders tell Breitbart News. Whats more, they say, despite all the hype and promises from McCaul and other Republicans on his committee, the bill leaves unaddressed the source of the problem that causes illegal immigrationand they argue it should not be considered some sort of solution.
McCaul introduced his bill, H.R. 399titled the Secure Our Borders First Actlast Friday. The currently 72-page bill is scheduled for a markup on Wednesday, the day after President Obamas the State of the Union speech. That means few in Congress will be paying attention to the minute details of McCauls bill.
To make matters more interesting, when McCaul introduced the bill, he did so with a slickly produced video meant to sell the bill to the public as being tough on the border.
The southern border of the United States runs almost 2,000 miles long, McCaul says in the opening of the campaign-ad-like video meant to sell his bill, as videos of border terrain appear. That is greater than the distance between Chicago and Mexico City. Knowing what and who is coming across our border keeps Americans safe. In the past weve seen everything from the running of drugs and human trafficking, to drug cartels and potential terrorists on our southern border. This hurts our economy and places Americans in greater danger.
The fast-track timing by McCaul on this billand the heavy push behind italso nearly certainly indicates that House GOP leaders approval of it, aides to likely opponents of the bill tell Breitbart News. Republican Study Committee (RSC) members will be pitched on the plan at their Wednesday meeting. The new RSC chairman, Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), has said he doesnt believe his role is challenging Speaker John Boehners authority. He wants to minimize battles with leadership.
In addition, some aides say that the use of the word first in the title implies that House GOP leaders are planning a series of immigration bills in the coming months, meaning establishment Republicans plan to drag the internal war in the GOP about immigration into the 2016 presidential process, which will ramp up in the next few months.
If Republicans back that bill, then the party really doesnt care anymore about telling the truth and standing up for everyday Americans, one GOP congressional aide told Breitbart News. The [McCaul] bill is a joke, and a sad one at that. Just a bunch of gobbly-gook empty promises for members to go home and say they supported something. Aint gonna fly for them, though. More ways to get the facts out nowadays. Voters are increasingly on to these sorts of charades designed to fool constituents.
That aide added that the GOP doesnt get the moniker the stupid party without reason, and if Republicans in the House back this legislation from McCaul theyll further earn that wisecrack nickname.
The GOP establishment still thinks theyre smarter than us, the aide said. Or else theyre too stupid to know otherwise. The GOP is the stupid party, after all.
Another office noted to Breitbart News that talking points pre-rebutting Obamas Tuesday evening State of the Union circulated to House Republican offices on Monday by the House GOP conference chairwoman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) dont mention Obamas amnesty at all. Instead, they also include the news that the GOP response to Obamas speech will for the first time also be available in Spanish in a speech by pro-amnesty Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL). The lengthy email does contain talking points about healthcare, the Keystone XL pipeline and other specific policy mattersas well as general thematic ideasbut there is absolutely no mention of the biggest issue in politics at this time. Thats a stunning omission.
Its worth noting that McMorris Rodgers congressional district is home to the pro-amnesty lobbying and high-tech powerhouse Microsoft, a company whose executives have been almost as intricately involved in pushing for a comprehensive immigration packagewhether in one bill or a group of billsas Facebook founder and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.
These details follow a warning from Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) this weekend for Americans to watch out for shenanigans from Republican leadership when it comes to immigration in Congress.
Yep thats what Jefferson said, The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance, Gohmert said in an interview that aired from the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention in Myrtle Beach on Breitbart News. And that means voters have to be vigilant. They have to make sure they are not being fooled by what theyre told is going on. They have to get to the bottom of it. And Breitbart helps us do that by the way.
Kevin Broughton, a spokesman for Tea Party Patriots, told Breitbart News his organization is digging deep into the bill text before weighing in further. But the group does have some serious concerns with the bill already.
Conservatives are constantly worried about what GOP leadership may be up to on immigration as its no secret that Boehner and others want to move an immigration package through Congress. As we delve into this bill that was dropped on a Friday of a holiday weekend, we have some serious concerns, Broughton said in an email. When we complete our analysis and get feedback from the grassroots, the political ruling class will hear from us in a big way, especially if this is a stalking horse for amnesty.
One GOP congressional aide added, if the Republican leadership werent so moronic, our country would enjoy a prosperous conservative majority.
Jessica Vaughan, a senior immigration analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies and former State Department official, laid out several of the specific issues shes found with the legislation in a lengthy email to Breitbart News.
I hardly know where to start in enumerating all the weaknesses of this bill, Vaughan said. First of all, its very concept is flawed. The bill throws an enormous amount of money at the Dept. of Homeland Security and micro-manages the deployment of technology and infrastructure, and sets out detailed metrics that all miss the point of what is driving illegal immigration today.
Vaughan said that spending money on the border isnt going to solve the problem. She blames the border crisis from this past summerwhere tens of thousands of Central American children trekked illegally into America only to be taken in and allowed to stay, on immigration policies implemented by both President Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush. McCauls bill, she notes, doesnt even attempt to tackle that problem:
What we know, especially from our experience over the last year with the border surge, is that the influx of illegal immigration is occurring because illegal aliens know that they will likely succeed in their goal to work here. Its not that the border is so porous (even though it is in some places) but because immigration laws simply are not enforced, except sometimes against the most egregious criminals. Those who reach the border either get past the Border Patrol, or they are arrested and then allowed (and encouraged) to join family members and demand drawn-out deportation proceedings and receive a work permit while they wait. Those who overstay know they will not be a target for enforcement and that many employers will hire them without consequence. Illegal aliens who are detected are ignored by ICE, or released to await the same drawn-out proceedings, from which aliens can abscond without consequence. This bill addresses none of these problems. Even worse, it offers fake border security, which is worse than mediocre border security.
Two other House Homeland Security Committee members joined McCaul in the video: Newly elected freshman Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI).
The biggest problem is we do not have operational control of any of our borders, actually, Miller says in the 3 minute 16 seconds long video posted on the House Homeland Security Committees YouTube page.
A bill that Miller introduced last Congressone that dealt with biometric security measureswas suspected of being another stalking horse meant to ultimately help the Senates then-passed Gang of Eight amnesty bill through the House of Representatives via a conference committee.
What leadership was trying to do for several months was pass various separate immigration bills through the House, then go to a conference committee, where leaders from both chambers of Congress would confer and hash out the differences between the House bills and the Senate bill. That could have ultimately resulted in a full amnesty bill sneaking through Congress to the presidents desk for his signature.
As the plan became public, and only after several months of anti-amnesty activists protesting, Boehner finally ended the plans for a conference committee with the Senate Gang of Eight immigration bill. A hearing that was supposed to happen on Millers bill was abruptly, in the middle of the government shutdown over Obamacare funding, canceled and the bill didnt see any action after that as preparations for the 2014 elections took center stage, according to the Library of Congress bill tracking website.
Vaughan notes that one of the phrases, operational control, that appears in this new McCaul billand one that Miller touted in this high-production-value videois pointless if immigration agents cant enforce immigration laws, which under the McCaul bill she notes wouldnt happen:
It aims to establish operational control of the border, which means that all illegal entries are prevented. Thats a great concept, and an essential goal. But it is pointless if those who are apprehended are simply released into the country under the moniker of unaccompanied minor or asylum applicant or in deportation proceedings, all of which really mean released, often with permission to work. A controlled catch & release policy is still a catch & release policy that burdens American taxpayers, endangers public safety, and encourages more illegal immigration.
Vaughan also points to how the bill calls for only 27 more miles of fencinghardly even close to the full border, which McCaul noted in his video is nearly two thousand miles long.
It proposes to build 27 more miles of fencing, Vaughan said. Thats just a blip on the line of unsecured southwest border. Hudspeth County, Texas alone has 95 miles of unfenced border. Instead, Congress should force DHS to finish the job mandated in the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
Vaughan also said that even though the bill doesnt change the Obama policies of keeping Border Patrol from apprehending and deporting illegal aliens, it has lots of plane and drone flights along the borderwhich she says is pointless because Border Patrol cant do anything about illegal immigration under this bill. Vaughan concludes:
The bill focuses on observing how many people attempt to enter, not on deterring them, catching them, or returning them. It requires DHS to collect a lot of metrics. This is an acknowledgement that no assessment of the state of border security is complete with only border apprehension statistics. They require the collection of data on gotaways and recidivists, which is helpful to a point. But one very important metric is missing the bill does not require DHS to disclose what happens to those illegal migrants who are caught; are they returned or released?
House text of proposed HR 399 Secure Our Borders First Act bill: (72 pages)
Results in a net reduction of secure physical fence to be replaced by technology.
Note: Grover Norquist (Valerie Jarrett’s Muslim Brotherhood soulmate) advocates for this measure:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr399/BILLS-114hr399ih.pdf
However, the following border states organization claim this bill “Militarizes the border”. I think that means these “dreamers” are against all physical security solutions and promote open borders. Read their take on the bill -
http://soboco.org/the-secure-our-borders-first-act-impact-of-hr-399-on-our-communities/
The Secure our Borders First Act: Impact of HR 399 on our Communities
The Secure Our Borders First Act was introduced by Rep. McCaul (R-TX) on January 16, 2015. The bill prescribes how Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is to secure the border, enforces penalties if the agency fails to meet the terms of the bill (restricting travel, pay bonuses, and promotions of agents), and costs the taxpayers $10 billion. The bill raises significant concerns detailed below.
HR 399 Turns Southern Border Communities Into Theatres of War
In the words of Rep. McCaul, HR 399 will allow the Department of Defense to transfer assets from theatre of war and redeploy them to the Southwest border. See McCaul press release Jan. 15, 2015.
War assets and other enforcement tools authorized by Congress could be deployed within 100 miles of the southern border, encompassing cities like San Diego, Tucson, El Paso and Brownsville (8 CFR 287.1). This 100-mile-zone is home to 15 million people and includes Disneyland, national parks, and tourist beaches.
Specifically, the bill authorizes Department of Defense to allocate aviation assets to Customs and Border Protection (Sec. 7). Other war assets are transferred under the Department of Defense 1033 Program.
The bill requires near-constant drone surveillance even though a recent DHS report has proven the drone program to be costly and ineffective (Sec. 9).
It also authorizes and reimburses states to deploy the deploy the National Guard (Sec. 17).
HR 399 Slows Legitimate Travel and Trade and Affects our Economy
The bill establishes a biometric exit data system to screen all people and cargo leaving the country through our 15 busiest airports, 15 busiest seaports and 15 busiest land ports of entry (Sec. 13).
The majority of the land ports affected are on the southern border with Mexico, our 2nd largest trade partner. Mexico is the top export destination for heartland states and an estimated 6 million US jobs (or 1 in every 24 workers) depend on it. See SBCC Border Briefing.
HR 399 Degrades our Natural Resources and Threatens Human Health
The bill grants CBP the authority to supercede the jurisdiction of other federal departments and waive ALL environmental laws on federal land within 100 miles of the southern border (Sec. 12).
It directs CBP to construct 425 miles of access roads, erect 27 miles of new fence, replace 64 miles of existing fence, install boat ramps and access gates, and construct 10 forward operating bases with power and water, all without regard to their impact on natural resources in places like Big Bend National Park.
Specifically, the bill also calls for the eradication of carrizo cane in the Rio Grande river without regard to the impact of eradication to the natural habitat, land erosion, and human health resulting from the use of pesticides and chemicals that linger in the air and settle in the river (Sec. 3).
HR 399 Fails to Address CBPs Well Documented Abuse of Power
The bill increases the enforcement resources and the power of CBP without providing for a commensurate increase in oversight and accountability mechanisms sorely needed to prevent corruption and abuse.
The rampant abuse of power by CBP agents is well documented through government audits, media reports, and congressional inquiries. On average, one agent a day is arrested for abusing his power or violating the law. As a result, the integrity of CBP, the largest law enforcement agency in the country, is in question.
Oversight and accountability of border agents is an absolute must to ensuring not only national security but also the safety and well being of the families living in the Southwestern United States.
HR 399 Deployment of Enforcement Tools by Sector
San Diego Sector
Subterranean surveillance and detection technologies
Drones
Maritime patrol aircraft, coastal radar surveillance, maritime signals intelligence capability
Aircraft detection capabilities
Unattended surveillance sensors
7 miles additional double layer fencing
7 miles road construction
37 miles road maintenance
El Centro Sector
5 miles fence replacement
10 miles road construction
Yuma Sector
3 miles fence replacement
16 miles road construction
Tucson Sector
Increased flight hours for aerial detection, interdiction and monitoring
Drones
Tower-based surveillance technology
Unattended surveillance sensors
10 miles double layer fencing
54 miles road construction
5 miles vehicle fencing replacement
2 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
Big Bend Sector
192 miles road construction
6 miles vehicle fencing
3 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
El Paso Sector
2 miles fence replacement
2 miles road construction
1 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
Del Rio Sector
41 miles road construction
1,200 miles road maintenance
8 boat ramps
2 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
Laredo Sector
26 miles road maintenance
1 boat ramp
2 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
RGV Sector
Drones
Unattended surveillance sensors
Increased monitoring for cross-river dams, culverts and pathways
94 miles road maintenance
21 boat ramps
2 Forward Operating Base with detention space, water and power, helicopter landing zone
Ted Cruz isn’t for building border fencing either where it does not make sense.
He parted company from Jeff Sessions on that.
Selectively fenced areas is the way to go.
Evaluate each sector and use people who literally are experts on the border all the way from Brownsville TX to San Diego.
Use every means practicable and effective.
Use electronics, drones, rapid response teams, border agents, national guard, in large numbers.
There is land, people of FR. There are owners, who live off the land. There is every conceivable kind of terrain. There is a river. Mountains, Canyons. Unimaginable remoteness and wilds. There are big teeming cities. There are typical smuggling routes. Map it out. Use resources appropriate to each situation.
I never agreed with brain-dead fencing plans.
Nor am I a traitor nor is Senator soon to be candidate I hope Cruz.
He is one smart patriot.
It does not make any difference the name of the person who gets the nod....they are all the same guy.
Why not? I don’t pretend we have a Republic, let alone a party in-power that represents We the People.
Now, if I could only pretend to pay the taxes that fund....
Topic winner.
Larry Elder, The Ten Things You Can't Say In America
I really like your Boehner is Gruber statement
Your welcome to it. they both are experts at saying what they dont mean
I knew all of this was coming when the RINO’s reelected Boehner as Speaker.
This battle was lost when we stopped shooting foreign invaders. Anyone who thinks terrorists aren’t taking full advantage of this isn’t thinking at all.
We had better prepare.
” But well hold their feet to the fire,....”
Somebody just posted this on another related thread....
LOL!
Bush One gave us Clinton
Bush two gave us Obama.
McCain actually campaigned for Obama while running against him
Romney was Obama with an R.
But we must hold they little feets to the fire!
” I will tell you, its pretty tough realizing it will be twenty-eight years come 2016, since weve had a true lover of this nation running for the presidency.”
Correct
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