Thread: Loopholes mean border fence may never be built

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15149231/


In border fence’s path, legislative roadblocks

Loopholes mean fence may never be built, at least not as advertised

No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.

GOP leaders have singled out the fence as one of the primary accomplishments of the recently completed session. Many lawmakers plan to highlight their $1.2 billion down payment on its construction as they campaign in the weeks before the midterm elections.

But shortly before recessing late Friday, the House and Senate gave the Bush administration leeway to distribute the money to a combination of projects -- not just the physical barrier along the southern border. The funds may also be spent on roads, technology and "tactical infrastructure" to support the Department of Homeland Security's preferred option of a "virtual fence."

What's more, in a late-night concession to win over wavering Republicans, GOP congressional leaders pledged in writing that Native American tribes, members of Congress, governors and local leaders would get a say in "the exact placement" of any structure, and that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff would have the flexibility to use alternatives "when fencing is ineffective or impractical."

The loopholes leave the Bush administration with authority to decide where, when and how long a fence will be built, except for small stretches east of San Diego and in western Arizona. Homeland Security officials have proposed a fence half as long, lawmakers said.

"It's one thing to authorize. It's another thing to actually appropriate the money and do it," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.). The fine-print distinction between what Congress says it will do and what it actually pays for is a time-honored result of the checks and balances between lawmakers who oversee agencies and those who hold their purse strings.

Political calculations
In this case, it also reflects political calculations by GOP strategists that voters do not mind the details, and that key players -- including the administration, local leaders and the Mexican government -- oppose a fence-only approach, analysts said.

President Bush signed the $34.8 billion homeland security budget bill Wednesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., without referring to the 700-mile barrier. Instead, he highlighted the $1.2 billion that Congress provided for an unspecified blend of fencing, vehicle barriers, lighting and technology such as ground-based radar, cameras and sensors.

"That's what the people of this country want," the president said. "They want to know that we're modernizing the border so we can better secure the border."

Bush and Chertoff have said repeatedly that enforcement alone will not work and that they want limited dollars spent elsewhere, such as on a temporary-worker program to ease pressure on the border. At an estimated $3 million to $10 million per mile, the double-layered barrier will cost considerably more than $1.2 billion.

Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who chairs the Senate subcommittee that funds the Department of Homeland Security, said that before the legislation was approved, the department had planned to build 320 miles of fencing, secure 500 miles of hard-to-traverse areas by blocking roads and monitor electronically the rest of the 2,000-mile-long southern frontier.

"I think there'll be fencing where the department feels that it makes sense," Gregg said, estimating that "at least 300 to 400 miles" will be built.

Congress withheld $950 million of the $1.2 billion, pending a breakdown by Chertoff of how he plans to spend the money. It is due in early December, after the midterm elections.

'Virtual fence'
Asked whether Homeland Security would build 700 miles of fence, department spokesman Russ Knocke would not say. Instead, he noted that department leaders announced last month that they will spend $67 million to test a remote-sensing "virtual fence" concept on a 28-mile, high-traffic stretch of border south of Tucson over eight months, and then adjust their plans.

"We plan to build a little and test a little. . . . Stay tuned," Knocke said. "We're optimistic that Congress is going to provide the department with flexibility."

The split between GOP leaders hungry for a sound-bite-friendly accomplishment targeting immigration and others who support a more comprehensive approach also means that the fence bill will be watered down when lawmakers return for a lame-duck session in November, according to congressional aides and lobbyists.

The office of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) yesterday released a letter from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) promising to ensure that Chertoff has discretion over whether to build a fence or choose other options. Homeland Security officials must also consult with U.S., state and local representatives on where structures are placed.

The letter was inserted in the Congressional Record on Friday night because Congress ran out of time to reach a final deal, aides said.

"State and local officials in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas should not be excluded from decisions about how to best protect our borders with their varying topography, population and geography," Hutchison said in a statement added to the record.

Congress also hedged on when a fence would be completed. The law mandating it said Homeland Security officials should gain "operational control" of the border in 18 months. But the law funding it envisions five years. Chertoff has set a goal of two to three years, but only after completion of an immigration overhaul.

Has Cornyn or Hutchison said anything positive about this fence bill HR 6061. NO! Why did they vote for it if it is such a bad bill.

What is wrong with these Texas Senators? What kind of games are they playing?

Dixie

"State and local officials in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas should not be excluded from decisions about how to best protect our borders with their varying topography, population and geography," Hutchison said in a statement added to the record.

I find this very unacceptable, because some of these so-called state and local officials aren't that interested in having a a physical fence in place.

Congress also hedged on when a fence would be completed. The law mandating it said Homeland Security officials should gain "operational control" of the border in 18 months. But the law funding it envisions five years. Chertoff has set a goal of two to three years, but only after completion of an immigration overhaul.

Once again, we're obviously being sold out. How can Chertoff set a goal of two or three years for operational control when the law has mandated operational control in 18 months?

I had high hopes for this fence bill, but like everything else regarding the actions of our U.S. Congress, it appears the physical fence could turn out to be a bust. In view of this information, I bet we won't hear anymore complaints from President Fox - I'm sure he's received word of this by now.

Bush and Chertoff have said repeatedly that enforcement alone will not work and that they want limited dollars spent elsewhere, such as on a temporary-worker program to ease pressure on the border.

Please, someone tell me how a temporary-worker (guest-worker) program is going to ease pressure on the border. It certainly isn't going to stop the criminal element from coming and unless we're talking huge numbers of people, it's not going to do much to stop the large influx were having. Furthermore, as we all know, the Senate is not going to go for a temporary-worker program. Anything less than a program that offers a path to legalization (amnesty) will not be accepted by the Senate. Besides that, many of these so-called temporary-workers will end up being illegal immigrants.

I missed Lou Dobbs tonight, did he mention any of this. If msnbc has this, he should have it.

Yeah...they are determined to end US.

They're all more excited about some fruit cake IMing Pages whose parents haven't taught them how to TURN THE DAMN COMPUTER OFF UNTIL YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH TO READ WHAT MIGHT "POP" UP.

I just can't stand the silliness of our situation some days.

We have at least 50,000 employees of the federal government selling US out every single day with the aid of members of the US Congress and White House....committing pure treason to end our nation.

But WHAT do they demand an Ethics Committee investigation about?

Cyber Sex Talk.

We're being INVADED by every Tom, Juan, Mohammad, Dick, Jorge, Chang and Huan on the planet that can make it to our borders and ports of entry with the full permission of the Executive Branch and the aid of certain members of the US Congress but WHAT do they demand an Ethics Committee, Justice Department and FBI investigation about?

Cyber Sex Talk.

Our President is willfully, systematically and expeditously unravelling and dissolving our nation through SPP and NAU "regulations" and illegal immigration but whose resignation are they demanding? Dennis Hastert because he didn't take a fruit cake that asked a page for a photo and what he wanted for his birthday seriously enough.

Has our dear little country gone insane?

Sometimes I wonder.

Then...I remember...there's ALIPAC and I know that sanity is still in abundance throughout the crooks and crannies of America!! It's just not on the Tee Vee.

Asked whether Homeland Security would build 700 miles of fence, department spokesman Russ Knocke would not say. Instead, he noted that department leaders announced last month that they will spend $67 million to test a remote-sensing "virtual fence" concept on a 28-mile, high-traffic stretch of border south of Tucson over eight months, and then adjust their plans

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They are just securing the money they have already spent. Check the date.
It appears the DHS needed more funding for their "toys" and that is what was voted on. I will be interested to see how they spend the rest of the money. To me, it looks as though our fence project was just a budget allocation for DHS with bells and whistles to appease the "masses" before the election.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/ ... ntract.php

Boeing wins $67 million contract for 'virtual fence' on border

Published: September 21, 2006

WASHINGTON Boeing Co., the world's largest aerospace company, won a $67 million (€53 million) federal contract Thursday to install a high-tech "virtual fence" along the Mexican border in Arizona.

The contract — less than half the $150 million (€118 million) list price of a single Boeing 787 jet — calls for cameras, sensors and even unmanned planes to be placed on a 28-mile (45-kilometer) stretch of border near Tucson, Arizona.

Despite the modest start, Boeing and government officials said the three-year contract was the first part of what could be a multibillion-dollar plan to reduce illegal entry along the 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) of the Canadian and Mexican borders.

The final cost for the so-called Secure Border Initiative is unknown, but industry experts say it could exceed $2 billion (€1.57 billion) over six years. Federal officials disputed that, saying the program will be adapted as circumstances change.

"If we can get it for less than $2 billion, we'll do that," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"What we are looking to build is a 21st century virtual fence," Chertoff said, calling the program just one of many steps the department is taking to reduce illegal immigration.

The Border Patrol's Tucson sector encompasses about three-fourths of the Arizona-Mexico border and has long been the nation's busiest entry point for illegal immigrants.

Chertoff and other officials stressed that the program will be flexible, calling the border "a complicated mix" of urban and remote areas, ranging from high desert in the Southwest to forests in the Northwest.

"We don't want to lock ourselves in" to any one technology, he said.

Officials expect Boeing and its corporate partners to begin operating the Tucson-area project by next spring, Chertoff said.

Chicago-based Boeing was among several major defense contractors competing for the job. While other companies relied on using flying drones to patrol the border, Boeing focused on a network of up to 1,800 high-tech towers, equipped with cameras, motion detectors and radar.

George Muellner, a top official at Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems, said Boeing and its partners — including Lucent Technologies Inc. and DRS Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group — were committed to making the program a success.

The Secure Border Initiative is the government's latest attempt to use advanced technology to solve illegal immigration, which has received new attention since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Sen. Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security, hailed the new program but said "the jury's out" on whether it will succeed.

A previous effort to install cameras along the border failed when equipment broke down. "Hopefully, we learned some lessons," Gregg said. "You've got to make sure you're on top of the contractors."

T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents border agents, said he was skeptical of any plan that relies on technology.

"They're applying the wrong solution to the problem," said Bonner, adding that Congress needs to pass legislation to "stop the employment magnet" that brings illegal immigrants from Mexico to the United States.

Virtual fence is another code word for open borders. Virtual fences don't catch a damn thing. They are the biggest waste of money in this country. Just another sham being perpetrated on the American people and you all are paying for it.

Added to Home Page as "In Border Fence's Path, Congressional Roadblocks"
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ic&t=43272

Judy's

Yeah...they are determined to end US.

You know what they want ? They want us to give up.

They might as well get used to the idea that we're going to "stay the course."

We are not up for re-election they are. We can vote them out of the picture and replace them with those Americans who believe in the American people and the American way of law and order.

And that's just what we'll do. Dump em.

What we have is a coordinated attack through the entire government. President Bush signed it for votes, but, he knew it would never be built. With the SPP reaching fruition in 2010, probably around February or March, they already believe that they have already won. Why else for the triumvirate meeting in Mexico to practice the governing body of the NAU. The entire government (executive, legislative and judicial) is corrupt as all hell. It reminds me of a virus going through a computer rewriting operational files until the computer fails. The only way to fix it is a complete wipe of the hard drive and reinstalation of a clean operating system. Just a reminder, more than half of the people causing us problems in the government are not elected.