President Bush on Thursday signed into law a bill that authorizes 700 miles of fencing along the Mexican border, a move the GOP hopes will energize voters next month.
“This bill will help protect the American people,” Bush said in a signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. “This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform.”
Democrats disagreed.
“This bill to build a fence is a bumper sticker solution that Republicans hope will provide cover for their stunning failure to produce comprehensive immigration reform,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
Kennedy said that by focusing solely on border security, the new law does nothing to address the millions of illegal immigrants alreadyin America. He favors a guest worker program that would grant legal status to illegal immigrants.
Bush also favors such a program, but it was shot down by House Republicans who insisted the U.S. get control of its borders before granting what they call amnesty to illegals.
“We must reduce pressure on our border by creating a temporary worker plan,” Bush said. “Willing workers ought to be matched with willing employers to do jobs Americans are not doing.”
Mindful that many conservative Republicans oppose a guest worker program, Bush made a point of publicly signing a border security bill 12 days before the midterm election. The move was aimed at energizing conservative voters who are disillusioned over Bush’s support for a guest worker program.
“Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades and, therefore, illegal immigration has been on the rise,” the president said. “We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility seriously.”
The 700 miles of fencing would cover roughly a third of America’s 2,100-mile border with Mexico. Some sections would be made of chain link, but others would be a “virtual fence” composed of motion detectors and cameras.
The project is expected to cost several billion dollars. Earlier this month, Bush signed a homeland security measure that allocates $1.2 billion as a down payment on the fence.
