Posted on 07/26/2007 2:36:26 PM PDT by F15Eagle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to provide an additional $3 billion in emergency spending to beef up border security after lawmakers failed earlier this month to enact broader immigration reforms.
The Senate voted 89-1 to add the money to a homeland security spending bill for next year currently being debated. Republican sponsors said the money could help lay the groundwork for a broader immigration overhaul that could address the status of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.
"It will make it easier to go to the next step," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.
The money would help hire more border security agents and purchase vehicles, cameras and radio towers that mostly would be used to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants over the U.S. border with Mexico.
Some of the money could also be used to help law enforcement officials track down immigrants who failed to abide by deportation orders.
These and other enforcement measures had been part of a broad immigration overhaul backed by President George W. Bush. That bill, which would have legalized millions of unlawful immigrants, faltered in the Senate in the face of stiff opposition from some Republicans who considered it an amnesty that would encourage more illegal immigration.
"One of the things that those of us who supported immigration reform learned was that the depth and breadth of cynicism about the government's commitment to enforcement is an impediment to comprehensive reform," said Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican who helped write the comprehensive bill.
Bush has threatened to veto the $37.6 billion homeland security spending bill for fiscal 2008, which starts on October 1, because it is about $2.5 billion more than he sought. The border security money was added as an emergency item on top of that amount.
Graham and others argued it would help strengthen Republican support for the bill, making it more difficult for Bush to reject.
Besides money for border protection, the bill also funds a range of post-September 11 domestic security programs, including more money for airport and port security as well as grants to states and local governments to prepare for terrorist attacks or natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated southern states in 2005.
The Senate is expected to vote on the homeland security spending bill soon. A similar, slightly less expensive bill already has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The two chambers will have to work out their minor differences before sending a bill to Bush.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan)
Either way, no Z-Visa boys and girls. That's for certain.
Anyone who trusts these traitorous RINOs is a fool.
WHY DO THEY NOT DEMAND THE LAW BE ENFORCED NOW?
Hope their arms get cramped : )
So when is my fence going to be finished?
Agreed. They can not be trusted and with these two, Kyl and Graham being quoted, you can bet some other scheme is being cooked up. Prepare for battle.
About the same time McCain becomes President ... IOW, never, if we leave them in charge of it ...
Given that none of them actually reads these bills, it probably actually mandates the Border Patrol to invade Mexico and kidnap every man, woman and child and drag them to the States. To pick lettuce.
Time to post this link again ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdxI0zClV_Y
(it’s Lou Dobbs so be forewarned if ya don’t like Dobbs on this stuff)
They appropriated money for a fence too but very little fencing money has been spent.
They may have so many stipulations on the money that it may be impossible to use the money for it’s alleged purpose.
Just because they say money is available don’t mean they are going to turn it loose. I think this is a wax on glass solution.
Conservatives gained great strength mobilizing the public against AMNESTY, this is a continuation of that great effort. Kudos to all who helped are in order.
The defense of freedom, it never ends.
enforce existing laws!
The MSM completely ignored, once again, the prime mover of this bill.
DUNCAN HUNTER!!!
Amen. Stop it again and let’s get Lindsey Graham un-elected next year. Even a monkey dancing to an organ-grinder would be more trustworthy with this nation’s future.
This particular monkey does nothing but eat cheese and surrender. And lie to us all the time.
Any bets on how many decades the White House can take to spend the money?
Who’s the one senator that voted against it?
good question ...
Finish the fence,crack down on business's hiring illegals,cut off government programs that aid illegals,enforce current illegal immigration laws,deport illegals,then maybe,maybe we will talk about AMNESTY.
Oh wait,if they did all that there would be no need for AMNESTY.
Another episode in the ongoing saga of creating the illusion that our government is serious about securing the border.
“Who’s the one senator that voted against it?”
Voinovich.
Be proud people we are wining, but be vigilant or they will attempt to tie this to some form of amnesty.
yes, if Kyl and Graham are acting happy something is up, I do believe, by their many past actions.
“Next step, eh, Grahamnesty?”
He can’t give it up.
Actually it’s wrong. Bush calculated correctly that the only way in hell it could pass if it was coupled in a confusing cloud of “comprehensive” clutter.
ping
Homeland Security? I don’t trust Chertoff with $3 billion. I don’t trust him with $5!
The money has already been set aside for Duncan Hunter’s effective 854 mile long double border fence. Let the building begin!
Yes, this is "do anything except something effective, like build a fence."
Spend taxpayer money on "virtual" fencing, buy some new vehicles, put up some radio towers and cameras, but don't actually do something as simple and effective as just putting up a fence.
I did not hear the short debate on this today but yesterday this was objected to. Cornyn wanted the $3B tied to Visa Overstayers. He and Dirty Harry got in a pi$$ing match last night when the (amendment to allocate the money to a specific purpose was objected to) about not getting along. I thought what I heard this a.m. was that he got that. There probably was some type of exchange because I think they want to add H2 AG visas on Homeland Security also. But I do not know the final outcome. Does anyone on FR know the particulars?
A border fence protecting us from chaos and invasion isn't as important as a new toy for the Pres?
Please.
Sounds like a warning to me.
I’ve been watching, or listening to C-SPAN2, most of the day, and so far, other than the petty bickering on procedural issues, I have been pretty impressed the way this bill has been shaping up. It’s the logical first step, and a quarter, heading in the right direction. The First Step has always been about tightening up the border, and this bill does that. There’s also some teeth in it to force employers into verifying their employees. It’s a good start and it appears it will have enough support to override Bush’s threatened veto, which is a must.
The bill builds 700 miles of fence, 300 miles of vehicle barriers, 105 camera survellance towers, adds umpteen thousand border patrol agents, and 1,000’s of detention beds. Hey, if they build a good system, they should only need a couple of beds. They should have them do something constructive, while they are being detained, perhaps a chain gang digging a moat along the border from sea to shining sea. We could upstage the Pamama Canal.
The Executive has to spend it. Jorge is “our” Executive and he has been cutting back spending in certain areas.
If you haven’t seen this, Sen. Sphincter is at it again!
“he’s floating a plan that would grant legal status to the nation’s 12 million illegal immigrants, but offer no path to citizenship. “It might be the equivalent of a green card,” Specter said Thursday. “
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872158/posts
That Specter is to a “no citizenship” position is huge progress.
Is that 700 miles in addition to the 700 miles already in the fence bill from last year? I looked at what I could find about this fencing money in today's Senate bill, and it's not clear to me that this is anything in addition to what already was in Representative Duncan Hunter's bill that passed last year. Here's what one article said:
-- Construct all 700 miles of fencing at the U.S.-Mexico border and 300 miles of vehicle barriers.
-- Permit the purchase of four unmanned aerial vehicles to surveil the border region for illegal crossers and add 105 ground-based radar and camera towers integral to the operation of a "virtual" fence.
It sounds to me as if this adds no extra miles of fence to what was already in last year's bill; in fact, that mention of "virtual" fencing makes me think this is not any addition at all to the Hunter fence.
It would delight me if this was money for an additional 700 miles of fence, but somehow I doubt it.
good link!!!
Yep, everyone concerned about NAU/SPP and shamnesty should watch it. Tell others about it.
You are right to doubt—not am additional 700 miles of fence. This time they are going to actually build it—last years bill was unfunded.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
yep, we cannot trust him at all regarding anything with national security, borders and shamnesty
Well, here's what Representative Hunter said recently on this:
But 854 miles of double border fence was mandated to be constructed. Homeland Security has a billion bucks, cash on hand. It's been six months, and they've done 11 miles.
So this administration has a case of the slows. And I think they slowed the fence down so that they could come out with the amnesty at the same time, put the two together, and the Bush-McCain-Kennedy bill would then be accepted by conservatives and liberals alike.
I find Representative Hunter a lot more credible on this issue than Senator Lindsey Graham.
the Final Vote on the Homeland Security Spending Bill was:
89-4 DeMint, Voinovich, Imhofe were 3 of the NO’s
Passed BIG TIME!!!
Get your veto pen out GWB; they are going to override you on this one-—AT LAST.
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