Thread: Democrats Refuse to Support The Fence Bill

Democrats today on the house floor are refusing to support a bill to build a 700 mile fence on the border or border security. Their offices are full of bricks and the American people have let them know that they want the border secured, yet they are refusing to do so. They are telling the American people to go to hell and holding out for amnesty. Let them know how you feel about the fact that they do not support the American people or border security.

democraticparty@democrats.org

Just imagine what is going to happen if the Democrats gain control of the House or Senate. Actually, if the regain control of House - it is all over for us and our cause, because there will most certainly be an approved amnesty bill around the corner.

Doesn't surprise me one bit, knowing how the Senators in this state feel and they happen to be Democrats. That's why I could never understand how so many felt this was a republican issue. Personally both parties have some explaining to do.

Democrats today on the house floor are refusing to support a bill to build a 700 mile fence on the border or border security.

The bill will pass the House for the 700 miles of fence, but it will die in the Senate. Unfortunately, the Senate would be more than happy to pass the bill as part of a comprehensive bill that would also award amnesty, but they won't approve it on its own. If the Senate were to do so - they would lose leverage for their desired comprehensive bill.

Democrats are trying to con the American people. This is enough to make you go on a massive campaign against democrats. I understand what they doing but that is not what the American people want. They also stated that the administration does not support the fence or any enforcement bills.

I understand what they doing but that is not what the American people want. They also stated that the administration does not support the fence or any enforcement bills.

Sawdust, you are right. Boosh's admin. will never approve any type of enforcement bill. It would go against our traitor president's wet dream of the NAU. (as we all know)

Originally Posted by MW

Just imagine what is going to happen if the Democrats gain control of the House or Senate. Actually, if the regain control of House - it is all over for us and our cause, because there will most certainly be an approved amnesty bill around the corner.

You are right. If the House, and the Senate are filled with a Democrat majority, they will pass a bill and Bush will sign it for sure.

This is an email I got from NumbersUSA

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS -- AND GOOD POLITICS

A few minutes ago, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a stand-alone border security and fence bill (H.R. 6061).

H.R. 6061 was introduced just this week (as a result of the special hearings) by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY).

VOTING YES
GOP----219
DEM-----64
----------------------
Total----283

VOTING NO
GOP------6
DEM----131
IND------1
----------------------
Total----138

See how your own Representative voted at:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll446.xml


Probably the most encouraging news in this vote was to see 64 Democrats vote for the fence.


That is up from the 49 who voted for a fence amendment last December.

That happened even though Democratic Leaders have tried to cast any attempt at more enforcement this fall as nothing more than political grandstanding that avoids what they consider the most important immigration reform (legalization of illegal aliens). And, really, there is no question that Speaker of the House Hastert is pushing these enforcement measures as a political ploy to show that the Republicans deserve to keep the majority in the House. So, the 64 Democrats had to have a very, very strong sense of pressure to go along with Hastert (R-IL).

Thanks to all of you who have been creating that constant pressure.

That should be a lesson for those of you who live in Districts represented by Democrats. Many of you have expressed frustration and resignation that no amount of faxing or phone calls will ever move your Member into immigration responsibility and away from Democratic Leader Pelosi's open borders platform.

But one-third of all Democrats broke with Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) on this vote!


Now what?


One of our NumbersUSA Capitol Hill Team, Jim Edwards, says: "No guarantee the Senate will move this as stand-alone bill. It's at this point a shot across the bow, the first of several to come."

Another of our Team, Van Esser, says: "Yes, no guarantee, but Senate Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) has said he will consider such stand alone bills. We'll need to pressure the Senate."

You can be sure that NumbersUSA will help guide you in your pressure on the Senate -- and also give you opportunity to praise or condemn your Representative for today's border vote. Just keep checking your Action Buffet corkboard at:

www.NumbersUSA.com/actionbuffet

One idea that Speaker Hastert and his leadership team has is that by passing this stand-alone fence bill right now they are giving their Conference negotiators on various appropriations bills a clear reason to try to add the bill to those bills.

The vote today greatly improves the chances that the money will be voted this fall to start major fence building along the Mexican border.


This is the analysis of H.R. 6061 by NumbersUSA Hill Team member Mark Wills


H.R. 6061 (Peter King)

1. would direct DHS to achieve and maintain operational control of our borders within 18 months of enactment;

2. would require annual reports from DHS to Congress regarding the progress made toward achieving and maintaining operational control over all international borders;

3. would require DHS to provide for at least two layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in five specified lengths (encompassing approximately 700 miles) along the United States southwestern border, with a specified span of border near Laredo, Texas required to be fenced by December 31, 2008;

4. would require surveillance cameras to be installed in the designated locations by May 30, 2007, and fence construction in those areas to be completed by May 30, 2008;

5. would allow other means of security (e.g., surveillance, etc.) if the topography of a specific area has an elevation grade exceeding 10 percent;

6. would require DHS to study  and report to Congress within one year of enactment on  the potential construction of a barrier system along the northern land and maritime borders, and requires the study to include the necessity of constructing such a barrier system as well as the feasibility of construction;

7. would require DHS to evaluate Customs and Border Protections authority to stop vehicles that enter the United States illegally and refuse to stop when ordered to do so by CBP personnel, and to review resouces available and CBP training related to stop illegally-entering vehicles.

The House is expected to vote on additional enforcement-only measures in the near future, including bills on: detention of dangerous aliens; fixing the court-created loophole that prohibits the expedited removal of Salvadorans; and clarifying the inherent authority of state/local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws during the normal course of their duties.

This action is an outgrowth of the summer-long series of field hearings which led House GOP leaders to conclude that the public is demanding an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform prior to the election. The goal is to pass a series of stand-alone enforcement bills and increase enforcement-related funding under FY 07 spending bills.


Republicans nearly united with us today -- issue badly splits Democrats


Let me just remind you of the way that Border Security has been moved from backburner to frontburner status.

On the vote today:

Republicans were virtually unanimous in our favor.
97.3% of Republicans voted with us
2.7% of Republicans voted against us

Democrats were badly split over this Border issue.
32.7% of Democrats voted with us
66.8% of Democrats voted against us

Ever since the 1996 efforts to pass immigration-reduction legislation failed, I've said that the key to success has to be causing the Democratic bloc of votes to split at least one-quarter to one-third our way while gaining 85% or more of Republican votes. Today is what success will look like in the future, I believe.

Last December, 12 Republicans voted agaisnt a fence amendment, but only 6 today. I believe the increasing interest of Democrats in border security is part of what is driving Republicans to be so united for border security.

Democratic Leaders tried to stop the fence and some other parts of H.R. 6061 with a substitute that called for creating a "virtual fence" along the entire border, using technology and personnel but no physical barriers. That lost on a party line vote.

It is possible for somebody to argue that the Democratic alternative could have greatly improved our ability to protect Americans from illegal entry. But five years after 9/11, it was far too subject to long years of delays and uncertainty about what you would actually get. The Democratic Leaders' proposal looked like a fig leaf that was designed to not do too much while giving the appearance of being serious about border security.

Although I do not regard the fence as the most important next tool -- or even the 2nd or 3rd most important next tool -- that we need to reduce illegal immigration and reduce the illegal population, it probably is the 4th most important. And it can create a huge symbol to the tens of millions of foreign nationals who are considering an illegal entry that the price is going up rapidly and we mean business about keeping them out.

I will come back to you soon on our next campaign of actions.

Perhaps the most important point that all of us are going to have to make is that the common Democratic complaint about the Republican strategy is correct. That is, they say the Republicans can't be taken seriously about wanting to control illegal immigration as long as they don't go after the hiring of illegal aliens.

We must all demand a bill to mandate verification of all new hires at all businesses. That probably is the No. 1 item for controlling illegal immigration and should not be put off beyond this fall.

Congratulations. All of your myriad actions on all kinds of subjects made this afternoon's gigantic vote victory possible.

-- ROY