http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4414425
Article Launched: 9/29/2006 12:00 AM

Senate to move on fence Vote to authorize 700-mile barrier could come as early as tonight

Lisa Friedman, Staff Writer

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin WASHINGTON -- The Senate agreed Thursday to move forward on authorizing a 700-mile security fence between the U.S. and Mexico even as other GOP attempts to crack down on illegal immigration fell victim to turf wars and inter-party skirmishes.
The 71-28 vote means that the Senate can begin final debate on the border fence today, with a vote expected evening.
California's senators split on allowing the fence to come up for a vote, with Sen. Barbara Boxer opposing it and Sen. Dianne Feinstein voting to allow it.
"I prefer the comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate. I voted for this comprehensive bill, and I believe that it is the right approach. But I also believe that it is critical that we improve the border infrastructure," Feinstein said.
Even if the final measure passes, however, the fence remains just a slice of the immigration loaf that GOP leaders tried to pass as part of their midterm election agenda.
"It is very possible that this session of Congress will end and no significant steps will be taken on immigration," said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors crackdowns on illegal immigrants.
"I wasn't counting on any progress on the illegal immigration front from this Congress, and I'm still not," said immigration hard-liner Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach/Long Beach.
But, Rohrabacher warned, "The voters are going to take note. When we return, this Congress is going to see just how important this issue is."
House Republicans earlier this month passed four immigration-related bills. Many of them were elements of a tough border-security bill that passed the House in December.
But the Senate could not reconcile that with a separate reform measure that boosted security but also granted citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants.
In addition to authorizing the fence, House Republicans moved to deputize local law enforcement officers as immigration agents and allow for the indefinite detainment of illegal immigrants.
The House also unanimously passed legislation criminalizing the construction and financing of border tunnels.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert vowed to muscle all of those provisions into either the 2007 defense or homeland security funding bills.
The move, however, provoked intense opposition from Senate Republicans.
Some, like House Armed Services Chairman John Warner, R-Va., objected on procedural grounds. Others such as Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., argued that piecemeal passing of immigration measures would kill any chance of larger bipartisan reform.
Hastert backed down Thursday, House and Senate aides said. A Hastert spokesman did not return calls for comment.
"It was the legislative equivalent of a showdown at the OK Corral, with Republicans staring down the Republicans," said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, which advocates for illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, the two other House-approved measures the fence and criminalizing the border tunnels are expected to pass.
That was enough Thursday for House Majority Leader John Boehner to claim at least partial victory.
"There is clearly some concern about some of the border security issues that the House passed last week that we would like to have seen in there," he said.
But, Boehner added, "having said that, the tunnel provision that makes it illegal to tunnel across the border is included. And if you look at the additional funds that we have in there, we've taken a big step on securing our borders."
Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said Republicans botched immigration reform.
"This Republican Congress has failed to pass meaningful, comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform," she said. "What they have done is really abdicate their responsibilities here."
Kelley called the fence "a bumper-sticker slogan and certainly not a solution," and said she doesn't believe its passage will allow GOP leaders to claim real action on border security.
"Because the attention was on this issue for so long, there's no one who's going to be fooled a fence," she said.
Lisa Friedman can be reached by e-mail at lisa.friedman@langnews.com or by calling (202) 662-8731.