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 News from Around the Americas | November 2007 
GOP Push for Money for US-Mexico Fence
 Andrew Taylor - Associated Press
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Washington - Republicans cried foul Wednesday after Democrats cut money for a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border from a defense spending bill.
The $3 billion in fence money, aimed at seizing "operational control" over the southern border, is likely to pass later in the year as part the Homeland Security Department's spending bill.
The money would pay for additional Border Patrol agents, vehicle barriers, border fencing and observation towers. It also would be used to pursue immigrants who had entered the United States legally but overstayed their visas.
The border security money was included in Bush's broader immigration bill that collapsed in June. It was to be financed by fines and fees on illegal immigrants.
After that measure fell apart, Republicans moved to attach the border security plan to the homeland security measure and succeeded by an 89-1 vote in July.
That vote was so impressive that it became clear that Bush's promised veto of Democrats' homeland security budget would be easily overridden by Republicans eager to demonstrate toughness on immigration.
That led Senate Republicans to add the fence money to the defense spending bill in September.
Democrats stripped the money from the defense bill at a House-Senate negotiating committee Tuesday, leading to an outcry among Republicans.
"It is clear across the country that the American people want to secure our borders first," said Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C. "They want to enforce our laws. And this really is an amazing thing that's happened today."
The White House has signaled Bush will accept the additional $3 billion, even though it also exceeds his budget.
The border fence idea was the GOP's chief immigration initiative of last year, pushed hard by House conservatives as an alternative to the Senate's immigration bill. |
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