Thread: Governor Schwarzenegger Urges Congress to Increase Border Se

http://www.bakersfieldonline.us/news/read/3/89933

Governor Schwarzenegger Urges Congress to Increase Border Security By: Bill Curtis
1:24 PM Thursday, August 24th, 200

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today sent the following letters to the Chairs of the House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees. The letters call on the committees to include Senator Feinstein's border tunnels legislation and pushes for Congress to fund 6,000 new Border Patrol agents by 2008 and 1,500 agents in 2007.

Governor Schwarzenegger this week is attending the 24th annual Border Governors Conference, where he is co-sponsoring a declaration that establishes a cross-border law enforcement task force, calls on both federal governments to criminalize border tunnels and supports significant penalties for those who violate tunneling laws.



Dear Chairman Gregg and Senator Byrd,

As you reconcile the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), I urge that you make addressing the need to secure our nation's international borders your top priority. It is important that as the threat of terrorism persists we are ever vigilant in our efforts to keep Americans safe. Furthermore, properly securing our borders to reduce the flow of illegal immigration must be a national priority if we are to develop a comprehensive immigration reform effort.

While California is currently partnering with the federal government as part of operation Jump Start through the deployment of more than 1,300 California National Guard troops to the U.S. - Mexico Border, this must only be an interim measure. It is critical that the federal government fulfill its responsibility to secure the border and provide funding for additional Border Patrol agents. As a governor, I understand the difficult choices that must be made when balancing needs and limited resources; however, dedicating the funds necessary to secure our borders must remain a high priority for Congress. Accordingly, I urge conferees to fund 1,500 new Border Patrol agent positions in FY 2007, a crucial step towards achieving the goal of adding 6,000 agents by the end of 2008.

I appreciate that both versions of the bill would fund completion of the San Diego Border Infrastructure System and I support including this funding in the final bill. I also support the inclusion of the Border Tunnels and Passage Act, as adopted by the Senate, that would help combat building of tunnels along our border that could be used to smuggle drugs, illegal aliens, weapons or terrorists. Finally, I ask that Congress reiterate its direction to DHS to adopt policies that provide clearer direction regarding the prevention, detection and remediation of these tunnels, and develop and deploy technology to detect and deter future underground tunnels.

I also ask that you give full consideration to several provisions that are critical to the State of California's strategies to combat terrorism and prepare for and respond to emergencies:





Dear Chairman Rogers and Representative Sabo,

As you reconcile the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), I urge that you make addressing the need to secure our nation's international borders your top priority. It is important that as the threat of terrorism persists we are ever vigilant in our efforts to keep Americans safe. Furthermore, properly securing our borders to reduce the flow of illegal immigration must be a national priority if we are to develop a comprehensive immigration reform effort.

While California is currently partnering with the federal government as part of operation Jump Start through the deployment of more than 1,300 California National Guard troops to the U.S. - Mexico Border, this must only be an interim measure. It is critical that the federal government fulfill its responsibility to secure the border and provide funding for additional Border Patrol agents. As a governor, I understand the difficult choices that must be made when balancing needs and limited resources; however, dedicating the funds necessary to secure our borders must remain a high priority for Congress. Accordingly, I urge conferees to fund 1,500 new Border Patrol agent positions in FY 2007, a crucial step towards achieving the goal of adding 6,000 agents by the end of 2008.

I appreciate that both versions of the bill would fund completion of the San Diego Border Infrastructure System and I support including this funding in the final bill. I also support the inclusion of the Border Tunnels and Passage Act as adopted by the Senate that would help combat building of tunnels along our border that could be used to smuggle drugs, illegal aliens, weapons, or terrorists. Finally, I ask that Congress reiterate its direction to DHS to adopt policies that provide clearer direction regarding the prevention, detection and remediation of these tunnels, and develop and deploy technology to detect and deter future underground tunnels

This guy must flip a coin each morning when he gets up to see which side of the issue he'll be on for the day.