Bush Now Favors Some Fencing Along Border

[Snowden]

Bush Now Favors Some Fencing Along Border

Sandy Huffaker/The New York Times
President Bush toured part of the Mexican border Thursday near San Luis, Ariz., as he tried to win support for his immigration bill. The driver of the vehicle was Agent Rocky Kittle of the Border Patrol.


By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: May 19, 2006

YUMA, Ariz., May 18 — President Bush traveled on Thursday to a blistering stretch of scrub land surrounding the nation's busiest Border Patrol station and declared that he supported fencing some but not all of America's 1,950-mile border with Mexico.

"It makes sense to use fencing along the border in key locations in order to do our job," Mr. Bush said in a speech at the headquarters of the Yuma Sector Border Patrol. "We're in the process of making our border the most technologically advanced border in the world."

Mr. Bush has in the past indicated he is opposed to fencing, and White House officials were kept busy on Thursday trying to explain the change in his position. Tony Snow, the new White House press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One that the White House supported a Senate amendment, passed on Wednesday, that would build 370 miles of fence in areas most often used by smugglers and illegal workers.

"We don't think you fence off the entire border," Mr. Snow said. But, he added, "there are places when fences are appropriate."

Earlier on Thursday, Mr. Bush sent a letter to Congress requesting $1.9 billion to pay for putting up to 6,000 more National Guard troops on the border with Mexico. The troops were the main news in his immigration speech on Monday.

The request for money and Mr. Bush's tough words on fencing amounted to his latest effort to win over House conservatives who want an immigration bill focused on strengthening border security instead of a temporary guest worker program favored by the Senate. Mr. Bush likes the Senate plan, which would give most of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants a chance to become American citizens, but he is trying to meld both approaches into a single bill that he hopes will be the major legislation of his remaining two years as president.

"Our country is a country of laws, and we've got to enforce our laws," Mr. Bush said at the Border Patrol headquarters, where outside temperatures reached 104 degrees. "But we're also a nation of immigrants. And we've got to remember that proud tradition, as well, which has strengthened our country in many ways."

Mr. Bush said that he believed a temporary worker program would reduce the number of people trying to enter the country illegally. Hundreds of Mexicans have died in the heat in recent years trying to enter the country through the Sonoran Desert, between Yuma in the west and Nogales, Ariz., to the east. Since October 2005, the Yuma sector of the Border Patrol, which stretches for some 125 miles along the desert boundary between the United States and Mexico, has reported 17 deaths.
"I understand there are many people on the other side of the border who will do anything to come and work," Mr. Bush said. "And that includes risking their life crossing your desert, or being willing to be stuffed in the back of an 18-wheeler."

The president was met here by Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and then toured a dirt field a few hundred feet from the border, where there were five watch towers and a fence of corrugated metal about 20 feet high.
After the tour, Mr. Bush gave back-to-back interviews of three to five minutes each to five broadcast and cable networks — CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS — to press his immigration plan.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/wa...th&oref=slogin

[Bluehawk]

Bluehawk now favors the Mexican Government now placing their OWN armed troops every 8 feet across entire American border.

[Forlorn Hope]

After seeing the Greta van Susteren show this past week about the border situation near San Ysidero, I have my doubts about the effectiveness of fences. Granted the fences are an obstacle, but those pesky coyotes find a means to go under, over or through the fences. I would rather see the money and effort put in surveillance technology.

The issue seems to be money. Low paying jobs in the US are more lucrative than jobs in Mexico. If we can figure out a way to make sneaking across the border unprofitable we could make steps toward solving the cause of the problem. From what I can see, those caught crossing the border are slapped on the wrist and deported….. so they may try again another day. What if they were detained? They wouldn’t be sending money home??

Who will build the fences? Halliburton? Ouch, sorry that was sarcastic. I would hope since the National Guard is going to be on the border anyway, that perhaps the combat engineers could build the fences. Or if not, I wonder where we could get some cheap labor. May be we could use the detainees? That would be ironic.

[Bluehawk]

Let the Mexican government patrol its own side of the border as well.

[Woodmonkey]

Mexico benefits from the millions (or is that billions?) of dollars that is sent back by the people who come here both legally and illegally and send money back to their families. They have no incentive to guard their borders and stop their citizens from entering our country illegally - they stand to lose if the borders get sealed.

[Bluehawk]

All borders have two sides...

"So low, can't get under it,
so high, can't get over it,
so wide, can't get around it,
gotta go in at the door."

[USA11B]

Originally Posted by Bluehawk

Bluehawk now favors the Mexican Government now placing their OWN armed troops every 8 feet across entire American border.

After some reflection, I don't like the idea of having armed, opposing forces along the border. I don't think they would have the same goals in mind. Should Mexico put troops along the border we would be compelled to do the same. Vice versa.
No easy solutions are there.