Thread: Obama signs border security bill, with no comment

Obama signs border security bill, with no comment

11:34 AM 78

President Obama signed a new border security bill today, but didn't comment on it or the prospects of more immigration legislation down the line.

Only photographers were allowed into the Oval Office ceremony. No reporters.

The Southwest Border Security Bill provides $600 million "to enhance technology at the border, share information and support with state, local and tribal law enforcement, and increase (federal) presence and law enforcement activities at the border," the White House said in a statement.

Regarding new federal help, the Justice and Homeland Security departments will provide "increased agents, investigators and prosecutors, as part of a multilayered effort to target illicit networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal weapons and money," the statement added.

Obama has called for comprehensive immigration reform that includes not only better security on the border, but a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who are already here. Republican critics support a tighter border, but citizenship proposals amount to amnesty for lawbreakers.

http://www.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/Index

I don't trust this man...........he's up to something!! Anything he does is to benefit him.........not Americans!!

Exactly what is this bill suppose to do? Is it to provide more office workers on the border?

He knows his approval rating is way down and this is to "prove" that he is "doing all he can for the American citizens"..........

Originally Posted by Bobby12

I don't trust this man...........he's up to something!! Anything he does is to benefit him.........not Americans!!

Exactly what is this bill suppose to do? . . .

Here is what the bill does:

Funding to Enhance D.O.J. Border Strategy

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-209133.html

i'm not suprised he signed it with no comment .... house democrats must be SCREAMING for action on illegal immigration , they need to look hard line on this issue or their going to get swept away ....

yet at the same time the president and many safe democrats are trying to portray the democratic party as being welcoming to illegal immigrants etc .... so they can secure the hispanic vote ... ( whatever that means )


at any rate , i hardly think another bill that sends more money to the border is going to make any american citizen satsified ... we want INTERIOR enforcment ....

From what I can tell, this does nothing for immigration enforcement, only flushes more money down the drain of the "War against Drugs".

This is a nearly useless bill. Just throwing a few dollars at the border to try and shut them up. Unless you take away the incentives (Birthright Citizenship etc) they will find a way to sneak in. U S citizenship is far too valuable and easily attainable for Mexicans not to try and plop their babies out here for it....The incentives must be removed and then we wouldnt even have to spend this kind of money to try and intercept as many as possible. It would save us mountains of money if we stop Birthright Citizenship...

Obama signs border security bill; 1,000 new agents to border

Aug. 13, 2010 09:43 AM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a $600 million border security that will put more agents and equipment along the Mexican border.

Obama signed the bill in the Oval Office alongside Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The measure will fund the hiring of 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to be deployed at critical areas along the border, as well as more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It also provides for new communications equipment and greater use of unmanned surveillance drones.

Some Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, say that while the legislation is a start, it falls short by not dramatically increasing the number of customs inspectors along the border and not funding a program that charges illegal immigrants with a low-level crime.

Arizona has been at the epicenter of the border security debate since it passed a law directing law enforcement officers to be more aggressive in seeking out illegal immigrants. Although a federal judge has since struck down some of the law's major provisions, it remains a rallying cry for those who say Washington has lost control of the border.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 13-ON.html

August 13, 2010
Obama, Republicans agree on border security, not immigration reform

Although President Obama signed a bipartisan border protection bill today, it sounds as if the political standoff over other aspects of immigration policy will go on.

Obama aides said today that the door remains open to "comprehensive immigration reform" that includes a pathway to citizenship for existing illegal immigrants as well as tighter border security -- but only if Republicans want to open that door.

"You need to secure the border, and have a safe and secure border area, and you need immigration reform," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs added, "Nothing is going to happen on this issue in a comprehensive way that only involves one party or one person."

Many Republicans, meanwhile, regard citizenship and guest worker program proposals as amnesty for law breakers.

"If the president takes amnesty off the table and makes a real commitment to border and interior security, he will find strong bipartisan support," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

And so it goes.

(Posted by David Jackson)

http://www.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/Index

Specifically, the funding will allow for more than 400 new positions and the temporary deployment of up to 220 personnel along the border as part of the Justice Department’s broader Southwest Border Strategy, including:

ATF Project Gunrunner Teams: Establishment of seven ATF Project Gunrunner teams comprised of special agents and industry operations investigators to target firearms trafficking along the Southwest Border;

Target Drug Enforcement Efforts at the Cartels: Enhancing and increasing intelligence operations against drug cartels as well as adding 50 new positions in Southwest Border offices;

FBI Hybrid Squads: Creation of five additional Hybrid Squads on the Southwest Border dedicated to combating the violent crime threat along the border and expanding intelligence collection efforts;

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF): Increased funding for the Southwest Border region including its seven OCDETF Strike Forces in the area to support investigations and prosecutions of high level Mexican drug cartels;

U.S. Attorneys: Deployment of more than 30 prosecutors in targeted locations to provide additional prosecutorial resources dedicated to combating Southwest Border firearm and drug trafficking, and bulk cash smuggling;

Criminal Division: Creation of 26 positions to review wiretap requests, along with mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) and extradition requests as well as to provide additional support for the investigation and prosecution of transnational gangs, firearms, and drug traffickers, and money launderers operating along the Southwest Border;

USMS International Investigations: Deployment of more than 20 Deputy U.S. Marshals to support its international investigations, including establish offices in Mexico to address cross-border investigations and enhance USMS presence at El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) to facilitate more intelligence-driving investigations;

Immigration Litigation: Increased funding for Immigration Judge Teams to expedite the adjudication of removal proceedings involving criminal aliens;

Prisons and Detention: Increased funding for contract beds and USMS personnel to accommodate prisoner levels; and

Training for Mexican law enforcement: Additional funding to support Mexican law enforcement operations with ballistic analysis, DNA analysis, information sharing, technical capabilities, and assistance.

If this is truly what it does, I fail to see much help for the illegal immigration problem, only the "War against Drugs", I see no mention of additional Border Patrol.

Senate clears $600 million border bill funded by work-visa fees

By Chris Strohm, CongressDaily 08/12/2010

The Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would pump $600 million in emergency spending into security efforts along the border with Mexico, which would be paid for by raising work-visa fees on foreign companies operating in the United States.

The bill, which goes to President Obama for his signature, has been criticized by business groups over the fee increases and by immigration advocates because it focuses solely on law enforcement.

The bill was approved by unanimous consent, which meant senators did not have to return to Washington to vote. The Senate then adjourned and will not come back until Sept. 13.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., defended the fee increases and said the bill is intended to help jump-start negotiations over legislation that would overhaul U.S. immigration laws and give an estimated 11 million undocumented workers in the country a path to legal status.

The bill would increase the fees that foreign companies must pay to hire high-skilled workers through the H-1B work visa program and the L-1 visa program. Higher fees would apply to companies that have more than 50 employees and hire more than half their workforce through the visa programs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-India Business Council oppose the increases. Information technology companies from India feel they are being targeted.

Schumer disputed the fee increase is aimed toward Indian companies. He said the intention is to raise fees on any company from any country that is exploiting loopholes in the H-1B visa program.

"Congress does not want the H-1B visa program to be a vehicle for creating multinational temp agencies where workers do not know what projects they will be working on -- or what cities they will be working in -- when they enter the country," he said as he spoke on the floor today. "The fee is based solely upon the business model of the company, not the location of the company."

Advocates who support comprehensive immigration reform also have criticized the bill because it does nothing to reform the nation's laws. Rather, it will beef up law enforcement operations along the nation's Southwest border by adding 1,500 border and immigration officers, increase unmanned drone operations and create more Border Patrol forward operating bases.

Schumer deflected that criticism, saying the bill is intended to show that lawmakers -- Democrats in particular -- are taking aggressive steps to secure the nation's borders. He said he hopes doing so will persuade Republicans to resume talks on crafting comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

"It is my hope that the bill we are passing today will break the deadlock that has existed in Congress and will clear the path for us to finally resume bipartisan negotiations in good faith on reforming our broken immigration system," Schumer said. "With this bill's passage today, we have clearly shown we are serious about securing our nation's borders. Now it is time for our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us in fixing our entire broken immigration system."

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100 ... ef=topnews