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Obama Signs Border Security Bill, Beefing Up Surveillance

1 year ago
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President Obama signed into law a $600 billion border security bill Friday that will beef up surveillance on the U.S.- Mexico border. In a statement released Thursday, the president said the bill will make "an important difference" as his administration "continues to work with Congress toward bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders, and restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system."

In a press briefing on Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano hailed the bipartisan support for the bill and said the new law "demonstrates the border is not and should not be a political issue." She focused on the resources the Obama administration has allocated to border security and called the legislation "another step forward . . . on top of the significant progress the administration has already made."

The new law will pay for 1,500 additional Border Patrol agents, as well as construction of "forward operating bases" for agents to detain people on the border. It will increase the number of unmanned surveillance drones to provide real-time information to authorities about illegal crossings, heighten communication between federal agents and local police, and pay for additional ATF, FBI and other agents to target drug and human trafficking rings. The law will be funded by raising fees on foreign-based personnel companies that use U.S. visa programs, including the popular H-1B program, which brings skilled workers to the United States.

Though many senators were absent from Congress because of the August recess, the bill was passed by voice vote in the Senate during a special session on Thursday. The House passed the measure on Tuesday, also in a special session.

The bill's sponsors in the Senate, Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), echoed the White House's sentiments and expressed hope that the legislation would be the first step toward passing immigration reform legislation. Said Schumer, "It's my hope that the bill we're passing today will break the deadlock." But on Thursday, GOP Sens. John McCain and John Kyl, both of Arizona, cast doubt on the bill's efficacy in battling cross-border violence, and accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of "needless political maneuvering" in bringing the Senate back from its August recess.

In response to questions as to how feasible comprehensive reform might be in an election year, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "We'll get reform when Democrats and Republicans are willing to go back and be leaders."

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AZ Stang

The only people saying "broken immigration system" are the ones breaking the law and abusing the system. Nobody ever says what's "broken" about it...

September 17 2010 at 8:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
maria & jose

johnblack53

I will tell you what they are doing here. the police are setting up stops at popular places for seat belt checks, when they ask for Id and they have none they are hauled off and they call immigration to check their status. If it shows they are illegal the jail holds them until immigration picks them up. My husbands lost 2 cousins over the weekend do to this. Also anytime the police are called in for say domestic disturbance they check with immigration on all traffic stops as well as dui's say bye bye cause they are gone. But they come back because the rest of the family is here. I was told the rate is $4,000 per person for coyote to bring them across the border. Truck drivers do it all the time. I just can't figure out how they make it without getting caught.

August 15 2010 at 10:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
maria & jose

Ever wonder how those illegals get the jobs you have tried to get and cannot. For one they will work for a lower wage than you so the employer will hire them at $8.00 and hour vs paying you the citizen $12.00 for the same job. Also alot of companies now will not hire anyone unless they have a good social security number. Those illegals either steal someone elses number or like one guy at my husbands job uses his childs name and social security number who were born in US. I think ages need to be attached to the social security numbers when employers run the numbers for legality. Also I agree what needs to be stopped is allowing the children born here of illegal parents not be allowed us citizenship this will stop those from crossing the border into the us for reason to have a child born in US so they can later sponsor the parents to obtain green cards.

August 15 2010 at 10:22 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
stheel4

The same Government thats passing this Bill is also allowing " Sanctuary City's " to exsist , Fighting Arizona on a law thats actually less strict than the Federal law that thwy refuse to uphold , allow health care to illegals , allow free public education for Illegals , allow anchor baby's to become citizens , allow welfare to Illegals , have a toll free number at the Department of Labor for Illegals to complain if they are not getting minimum wage , voted against any required ID for use of Government care ect ect.

August 14 2010 at 1:25 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
stheel4

We either need to completely seal the southern border with Mexico , or completely cut off Illegals from anchor baby status , free education , food stamps , health care and any business that hires them.

August 14 2010 at 1:14 PM Report abuse +7 rate up rate down Reply
copperkettle3

If either party was serious about the issue of illegal immigration, the employers who hire the illegals would be fined for doing so. No jobs. No illegals.

August 14 2010 at 12:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dmgg711

All those desperate for work, go to Arizona and check out the fields. They may be hiring right now for whatever summer produce being harvest, and I know for a fact that in Yuma, Arizona they are going to need field workers, female and male, to harvest the lettuce. Salinas Valley will not be providing field workers to work in Arizona this year or the years to come because of their racial profiling. So there is work in any state that don't want illegal immigrants, jobs are availabel in the fields and orchards and I imagine in slaugherhouses. don't look for professional jobs, look for manual labor.

August 14 2010 at 1:39 AM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
ebarnish

I hope it works.

August 14 2010 at 12:54 AM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
MIKE

Easily to stop the immigration said by having the IRS, immigration and FBI audit every business and for every illegal it is a $1,000,000 fine. As for the drug trade either legalize or enforce the laws we already have.

August 13 2010 at 11:59 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
bassn55

I'm hoping republicans take over, can't wait to see the excuses they make when doing nothing about this problem . Like they did for the last 8 years ... NOTHING !

August 13 2010 at 10:30 PM Report abuse -12 rate up rate down Reply

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