The House and Senate majority leadership is playing a shell game. Conferees from both chambers are dwelling exclusively on law enforcement and border security.
Sponsors of the legislation want to build 700 miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border and substantially beef up border patrols and detention facilities. Yet don't ask these enforcement advocates about paying the bill. As Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted this week, "It's clearly a case of over-promising" because failure to appropriate the money "has been our track record.
"A "security" fence would cost at least $5 billion, Homeland Security officials estimate. That doesn't include expanded patrols and detention centers. Neither does it include the $11 billion it would cost to implement a new law tightening rules on driver's licenses to prevent illegal immigrants from getting them.
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Eager to make at least some pre-election progress, House and Senate GOP leaders are trying to attach their enforcement-only approach to a funding bill for the Homeland Security department. Money originally intended for national security would be spent on get-tough-on-immigrants programs.
As a result, there would be less appropriated for security at ports, chemical plants and nuclear-powered electric generating facilities. "We need to make sure we don't have a shell game," said Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, a sponsor of the border fence project.
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3 comments:
There should be no money spent on any get-tough-on-immigrants program, but we should not limit the resources directed to a get-tough-on-illegal-aliens program. Many forums, including this one, often confuse what's legal with what's illegal. We should all support and respect the law, or else change it.
dewey macintosh, tell your congress members to change the law and fix the immigration problem we have in this country. My guess is if we don't solve this soon it will get worst.
Call your representatives today and tell them to get their act together. I have and also convince family and friends to call. The only way to secure a safe country is to know who is here.
As an American please help me to keep the goodies and remove he badies.
Thank you,
Heather Holbrook.
Phildelphia, PA.
Agreed, Heather. But, I am doubful that when and if the Congress changes the law, that the Executive will even enforce the new regulations. Better to first establish credibility with the American public, that the Executive is indeed capable of enforcing the existing laws.
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