Congress passes Mexico border fence bill

Congress has ordered construction of 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexican border in a move Mexico says will hurt relations between the two countries.

The Senate voted 80-19, with 26 Democrats joining 54 Republicans in support, Friday night before recessing for the fall political campaigns.

President Bush has said he would sign it. What the president won't be signing is a bill that meets his goals of border enforcement combined with a guest-worker program and a plan for legalizing millions of undocumented people living and working in the United States. That's the bill the Senate passed last May. But many House Republicans don't like it.

Bush also won't be signing a bill that would make criminals of illegal immigrants, pave the way for increased enforcement of immigration laws by state and local police, and make it easier for federal officials to detain and deport people here illegally. Democrats and some Republicans don't like that one.

Critics claim the $1.2 billion fence would do little to address the underlying economic, social and law enforcement problems, or to prevent others from slipping across the border, The Washington Post reported.

A United Press International analysis said the fence's success would be determined by improved economic growth in Mexico and crackdowns on U.S. employment of illegal immigrants.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department called the fence "a political answer rather than a viable solution." Mexican President Vicente Fox called it "shameful" and compared it to the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany.

IN THE BILL
The homeland security spending bill contains $21.3 billion for immigration and border security-related matters. It includes:

• $2.8 billion for border patrol, including 1,500 new agents, for a total of 14,800.
• $1.2 billion for border fencing, vehicle barriers and surveillance technology.
• $1.4 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody operations.

IMMIGRATION PROPOSALS THAT DIDN'T GET APPROVED
Here are proposals that were in the House or Senate bills that did not become law.

• Making it a crime to be in the U.S. illegally
• Giving state and local police enhanced authority to enforce immigration laws.
• Streamlining the ability of federal officials to detain and deport illegal immigrants or gang members.
• Creating a new guest-worker program
• Allowing undocumented immigrants to earn their way to legal status
• Imposing a new system for employers to verify the legal status of their workers.

The whole issue is very complicated, yet something has to be done.Building the entire 700 mile fence is a start, but much much more needs to get underway, and soon. What about the border with Canada? Is that even an issue? I thought all Presidents swear to defend our borders when becoming President, so why has it taken so long for something to get done? Putting partisanship aside for a moment, what is the best plan for the illegal immigration problem? It’s not a Democratic or Republican problem – it’s an American problem, and the problem at the moment isn’t so much the illegals as it is our current government.

If we would at least make it a crime to hire illegals, that would be a start. Oh wait, it is a crime to hire illegals. The government just doesn’t feel like taking the manpower and stance to actually locate and punish employers who break the law. Why is that? If there’s no work for illegals, then perhaps less illegals would sneak across the border. Aren’t we worried about terrorists getting into the country via an unlocked back door? I am not against people coming into America legally. I just think it’s wrong for us to do nothing, or appear to do something but not really accomplish the meaningful goal of border security.