Tell Congress to build the border fence.
Alert: In a quiet act of defiance, the Senate approved a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that removed legal requirements mandating the federal government fund 854 miles of a double layer border fence spanning America's southwestern border.
The funding requirement was codified into law when Congress passed, and President George W. Bush signed, the Secure Fence Act (SFA) in 2006.
When the spending bill, which combines appropriations for a number of federal agencies, reached the Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) attached S.Amdt. 2466 to the measure in order to silently gut the SFA's spending requirement.
The Hutchison amendment reads, "Nothing in this paragraph shall require the secretary of homeland security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location." Thus, critics argue the amendment results in a de facto repeal of the SFA.
"The Hutchison amendment gives DHS virtually total discretion over how and where the fence is built," commented Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org. "In fact, DHS would not be required to build fencing in any particular location - and the double-layer mandate is totally gone."
The double-layer border fence, which was premised on the fence erected outside San Diego, consists of two layers of fencing with a border patrol access road separating the fencing. California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who is also running for the Republican nomination, was instrumental in building the fence in San Diego and boasts the fence reduced the smuggling of drugs and people into San Diego by 90 percent. Mr. Hunter further contends his fence is virtually impenetrable.
"If you get over my fence, we sign you up for the Olympics immediately," Mr. Hunter repeatedly jokes on the campaign trail. The success of the San Diego fence was so great that Mr. Hunter wrote the SFA to extend it all the way across the southwest border.
But with the Senate's amendment, the fate of the fence remains in limbo and sets the stage for another congressional showdown on immigration now that the amended Senate version comes back to the House for consideration.
"Congress truly pulled the rug out from under us while we were doing our last-minute holiday shopping, deceiving the American people and only showing goodwill to the 12 million lawbreakers living among us," sates Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Mr. Simcox had pledged to rally his Minutemen to secure funding for the fence, and Mr. Hunter is prepared to do battle as well.
"If Congress is to reverse its border stance after just one year, what message does that send to illegal immigrants and drug smugglers who are watching to see how serious we are about protecting America's borders?" Mr. Hunter asked.
DO NOT BE SILENCED BY ANYONE STAND UP! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Cross Posted from FAXDC.com
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Posted by Recoil on January 5, 2008
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