Hastert: U.S. can defend borders like it has Iraq's

Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/hastert15.html

August 15, 2006

BY DENNIS CONRAD ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON-- House Speaker Dennis Hastert voiced confidence Tuesday that the United States can block illegal immigrants from crossing the nation's borders even though he estimates there are up to 15 million living here already.

"What we need to do is seal our border," he said during a phone interview with "The Don and Roma Morning Show" on Chicago's WLS radio station. "If someone is bleeding to death, first of all, you stop the bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding. We can seal the border."

Hastert, whose district includes some of Chicago's suburbs and outlying rural counties approaching the Mississippi River, said fences, pedestrian inhibitors and the Army Corps of Engineers and Border Patrol working together could accomplish the goal.

"I always say if we can protect Iraq's borders against Syria and, you know, Jordan, and everyplace else, Iran, we can protect our own borders," he said.

The Illinois Republican has been emphasizing the immigration issue in making the case to voters that they should keep Congress in GOP hands.

Hastert announced last month that the House would hold 19 hearings on immigration across 12 states to help put together legislation that could pass both the House and Senate and be signed by President Bush. He said Tuesday he wants to take immigration legislation one step at a time and argued that the first bill needs to focus on protecting the border with Mexico.

Hastert also said the "bad apples"--which he did not define--among the country's millions of illegal immigrants should be deported.

"We are serious about taking illegal aliens and moving them outside borders of our country," he said.

"When you become a citizen you have to learn English, and that's the thing: we have to urge that people go through the process," he added. "What we have is literally millions of people coming here ... not having to become a citizen, kind of living and working in the shadows, and these people need to make a decision ... I just don't think we can have two types of legalities in this country: what the law says and what we let happen."

The House has approved a bill to spend $1.9 billion to tighten U.S. borders, including putting thousands of Border Patrol agents and National Guard troops along the border with Mexico and paying for 40 miles of fencing and 140 miles of vehicle barriers on that border. The Homeland Security Department also plans to target illegal immigrants for deportation.

Bush has urged Congress to enact a temporary worker program to allow at least some illegal immigrants to stay. The Senate has approved a somewhat similar measure, but the House has not acted on it, as critics say it would give amnesty to those here illegally.