Thread: Lawmakers, Chertoff press for border funding

By Chris Strohm CongressDaily February 1, 2008

As lawmakers called for adequate funding to secure the nation's borders and enforce immigration laws, and improved management of critical border security programs, Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff disclosed Thursday that he will request $12 billion for those efforts.

Several key lawmakers said they planned to closely scrutinize the Homeland Security Department's fiscal 2009 budget request, especially the amounts allocated for border security, immigration enforcement and cracking down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers.

"I look forward to reviewing the president's budget request," House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Price, D-N.C., said. "In past years, Congress has consistently increased funding for border security and immigration law enforcement above the president's request to meet ongoing security needs."

Indeed, House and Senate lawmakers added $2.7 billion in emergency border security funds to the department's budget for the current fiscal year.

Chertoff gave a preview of his budget, which will be unveiled Monday, during a session with reporters Thursday. He, too, focused on border security and immigration.

"If there's one lesson my year and a half of debating illegal immigration has taught me, [it is] the public is tired of promises that are given when the cameras are on and then betrayed when the cameras are off," Chertoff said.

His $12 billion request for border security and immigration includes $775 million for the department's so called SBInet program, which is aimed at using fencing, infrastructure and technology to secure border regions.

About $442 million would be allocated to hire, train and equip 2,200 new Border Patrol agents, to bring total strength to 20,000 agents by September 2009.

The department wants to put $3 billion toward immigration enforcement, such as raiding work sites with employed illegal immigrants and increasing the number of beds on hand to house detained illegal immigrants.

The department plans to have 33,000 detention beds by September 2009.
Chertoff said the department has constructed almost 300 miles of fencing along the Mexican border and plans to have 670 miles of fencing built by the end of December.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., called the department's proposed budget "long overdue."

He said he called for more border security funding in 2005 but was told by the White House that it would be wasteful and unnecessary.

"I am pleased to see that the administration is finally catching up to my initiative [to] provide the resources to secure our borders," Byrd said. "We welcome the Bush administration in joining with the Democratic Congress in this effort for FY 2009."

But lawmakers want the department to improve the management of costly border security programs.

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said "the challenge is too great to be addressed by resources alone."

"Proper program management and accountability are needed to translate bold plans into real solutions," he said.

Separately, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Committee Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, sent Chertoff a letter questioning the department's oversight of the SBInet program.

They said they are "concerned that DHS may not have adequate oversight of contractor support and of the SBInet program."

The Customs and Border Protection agency within the department contracted Boeing Integrated Defense Systems to manage the program, which is expected to cost about $7.6 billion though 2011.

CBP is assessing whether systems integrated by Boeing work properly. But Lieberman and Collins noted that, even though the assessment is not complete, CBP has announced a new $64 million task order for Boeing.

"To ensure that taxpayer funds are used effectively, it is imperative that DHS have a concrete understanding of how SBInet will be integrated into CBP operations and serve the needs of Border Patrol agents," wrote the senators, who included a list of questions for Chertoff.

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287g funding?!

Both my city and county applied mid-last year. If we don't get it things will go back to where they were. Even the mere applying has made a difference.

Get after your city!