Bush approves 700-mile fence at Mexico border
Opponents say it's political; backers say it's needed for security
October 27, 2006
President Bush on Thursday signed into law a bill that authorizes the construction of a 700-mile, double-layered fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The fence is intended to stem illegal immigration, drug smuggling and terrorism, but for Salem-area groups that represent or advocate for immigrants, the move was seen mostly as an attempt to give Republican candidates a leg up in next month's elections.
"Several hundred miles of fencing will not change the fact that undocumented immigrants will continue to come to the United States out of economic necessity," said Pedro Sosa, the regional director of Project Voice, a national nonprofit committed to the humane treatment of immigrants.
"If politicians want a real solution, they first need to look at U.S. policies in other nations that make people leave their countries because those policies do away with their jobs," Sosa said. "A fence? That's just a waste of money."
Proponents praised the bill and the president, saying the fence is a necessary component of border security.
The fence "will stop the hemorrhaging along our nation's borders," said a statement by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Jim Ludwick, the president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform, a McMinnville-based nonprofit group opposed to illegal immigration, said Thursday's signing "is perhaps the first step in enforcing our borders."
"I think maybe he (Bush) was a reluctant signer," Ludwick said, "but at this point, we're happy for what we get."
Bush previously promised to balance the tightening of the border with a temporary guest-worker program and eventual citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the nation.
Ramon Ramirez, the president of PCUN, a Spanish acronym for Northwest Tree Planters and Farmworkers Union, called the bill signing a completely political event.
"This is politics at its ugliest," Ramirez said. "The current leadership in Washington has done nothing to come up with comprehensive immigration reform, and we're very disappointed about that.
"We're looking forward to seeing a changing of the guard in Congress with the coming election."
For Aeryca Steinbauer, the coordinator of CAUSA, a statewide immigrant-rights advocacy group, Bush's signing of the act means he acquiesced to people in the Republican party who oppose his views on immigration.
"This is an example of politicians attacking hard-working immigrants to shore up their own base before next month's election," Steinbauer said.
In signing the Secure Fence Act of 2006 into law, Bush said the nation had not been in control of its southern border for decades.
About 12 million undocumented immigrants are thought to be living in the United States.
Last year, an estimated 1.2 million people were arrested trying to illegally cross into the nation at different points of the U.S.-Mexico border, according to statistics from Customs and Border Patrol.
Outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox has repeatedly said he opposes the construction of a fence, calling it shameful and likening it to the Berlin Wall.
His nation has pledged to challenge the fence at the United Nations.
On Wednesday, Mexican officials presented a declaration against the policy to the Organization of American States, supported by 27 other Latin American and Caribbean nations but opposed by the United States.
During Thursday's signing, Bush also said the federal government would tackle illegal immigration by increasing funding and the number of border-patrol agents.
He said remote cameras, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles also would be used to create a 21st-century border with Mexico.
T.J. Bonner, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing border-patrol agents, said that a fence would not be enough on its own.
"A fence will slow people down by a minute or two, but if you don't have the agents to stop them, it does no good," Bonner said. "We're not talking about some impenetrable barrier."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
tguerrero@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6815
