NEWS
U.S.-Mexico Border Fence Plan Will Be 'Revisited' By Congress
By James Rowley
Washington - Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The Democratic-controlled Congress won't approve financing for a 700-mile fence along the U.S.- Mexico border and is exploring scaled-down alternatives, lawmakers say.
The fence, pushed through Congress by Republicans during last year's election campaign, will only be built where physical barriers have proven effective, such as near cities like El Paso, Texas, lawmakers say. The Bush administration supports substituting electronic and aerial surveillance along parts of the border.
``The fence will be revisited,'' House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters yesterday. Lawmakers will ``will look at whether this is an expenditure that continues to make sense,'' he said, noting that President Bush isn't a strong supporter of the 700-mile proposal.
Boeing Co. is installing a 28-mile prototype of a ``virtual fence'' near Tucson, Arizona, with electronic sensors, surveillance cameras on portable towers and unmanned aerial aircraft. The project is part of a $2.5 billion contract the Chicago-based defense contractor won last year to help the U.S. detect illegal border crossings from Mexico and Canada.
Republican leaders rushed the fence plan through the last Congress in September with support of some Democrats. Financing for the plan wasn't included, prompting some Democrats to call the idea an election-year gimmick to burnish the Republicans' national-security reputation.
Securing Seats
``That issue was about securing Republican seats in the House and the Senate, not securing the borders,'' said Massachusetts Democrat Edward M. Kennedy, the new chairman of a Senate immigration subcommittee. He noted there are an estimated 12 million undocumented aliens in the U.S., including about half who have overstayed visas. ``What's the fence going to do for them?'' he said.
Kennedy and Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who heads the House Homeland Security Committee, said they would study ways to redesign the fence.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
and his predecessor, Tom Ridge, ``outlined programs that deal with the tough security measures which I think make a great deal of sense,'' Kennedy said. The department has proposed doubling the number of Border Patrol agents in the next two years.
Five Sections
Republican proponents envisioned constructing 700 miles of fence in five locations along the southern border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In Texas, it would run along the northern bank of the Rio Grande River from Del Rio to Eagle Pass and from 15 miles northwest of Laredo to Brownsville.
Thompson said he won't push legislation to finance new border security until Chertoff gives Congress a ``comprehensive plan'' for stemming illegal immigration from Mexico.
``At some point, physical barriers might be part of a plan, but we want to look at how many men or personnel we need to support some kind of border security initiative,'' Thompson said. ``Right now we don't have a plan.''
Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Homeland Security Department, disputed Thompson's statement the agency has no comprehensive strategy.
The Secure Border Initiative, announced in November 2005 by Chertoff, was billed as part of a broader strategy that includes enforcing immigration laws to find and deport aliens hired illegally by U.S. employers.
``Traditional fencing is absolutely going to be part of the solution at the border'' and is ``particularly effective in metropolitan areas,'' Knocke said.
Work in Progress
Some Republicans also want to change the plan.
``This is still a work in progress,'' said Senator John Cornyn. He and fellow Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison are seeking to revise last year's fence measure, which isn't popular among Texans living near the border.
``We voted for the authorization for the fence because that was really the only vote we had on border security,'' Cornyn said. ``Technology, I believe, is the best way to secure our border.''
The eight-member Laredo City Council unanimously passed a resolution in August opposing construction of the 700-mile fence.
Ranchers whose land abuts the Rio Grande have complained it would make it impossible for their cattle to graze in the river, said Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar whose district includes Laredo and ranchland along the river. ``There is that issue of private property,'' he said.
City officials want to foster commerce with Nueva Laredo, a larger city on Mexico's side of the Rio Grande, Cuellar said. ``We would rather be building bridges than fences.''
To contact the reporter on this story: James Rowley at jarowley@bloomberg.net
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed by HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com) without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)