On the border, the U.S. Border Fence project has become a political football in the debate about immigration reform. Flickr photo.
On Cinco de Mayo 2010, the border between the United States and Mexico is a critical issue in the raging political debate on immigration reform. On the border, the U.S. Border Patrol has doubled in size since 2004. Hundreds of miles of a high-tech U.S. border fence project, costing billions of dollars, doesn’t work as advertised. The Obama administration wants to divert any cash advance from extending the U.S. border fence to spend it on more U.S. Border Patrol. This leads Republicans to charge that Democrats are cutting funding for border security.
GOP: no clue on the border
On the 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico, the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection (CPB) has completed about 650 miles of the U.S. border fence project as of Cinco de Mayo 2010. The barrier, meant to keep out people, isn’t working. The U.S. border fence project is also interfering with migrating wildlife, blocking access to water and threatens to divide tribal lands for three Indian nations. Another part of the border fence project is a so-called “virtual fence” made of towers and sensors. NPR reports that Boeing built a 28-mile test section in the Southern Arizona desert. After three years — and $1.4 billion — it didn’t work.
The border fence debate
Politifact.com reports that in the border fence debate, most immigration experts say adding personnel to the U.S. Border Patrol is much more effective than building fences. In March Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she will spend $50 million of stimulus funds originally intended to build the virtual fence on other, more proven and cost-effective security technology. Yet Mike Coffman, a Republican congressman from Colorado, writes in the Daily Caller that the border isn’t secure “because the federal government currently prioritizes protecting ecosystems and wildlife along the border over controlling access and preventing illegal entry.”
U.S. border fence cost
The controversial situation on the border is clouded further by politicians who use the shift in funding from the U.S. border fence project to lie in the border fence debate. Sunday U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the House Republican Conference, told NBC’s Meet the Press “This administration and this Congress have been systematically cutting funding to border security since the Democrats took control,” He then went on to present “the numbers.” Pence said in 2007 the Republicans wrote a $1.2 billion budget for border control and fencing. He says the Democrats cut it to $800 million.
U.S. border security spending
Republican budget claims about what’s happening on the border are false, according to the politifact.com. report on the border fence debate. In 2007, discretionary spending on border security was $6.3 billion — the last year of Republican control. Under Democratic majority, discretionary spending on border security went to $7.9 billion in 2008; to $9.8 billion in 2009; and to $10.1 billion in fiscal year 2010. President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget calls for a slight decrease in discretionary spending on border security, but even at the proposed level of $9.8 billion, that’s a 55 percent increase between 2007 and 2011.
Stop the Discretionary Spending on ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Notably the gargantuan problem with illegal immigration, both illegal and illegal is CHAIN MIGRATION. It stems from the initial legitimized individual who attains citizenship can then sponsor family members. Family consists of Wife or Husband, Child under 21and unmarried all all have immediate admittance into the US. A US Citizen can also sponsor a son or daughter who is 21 years old or over, a married son or daughter of any age, and a brother or sister, who falls into the DERIVATIVE category. The derivative classification has a waiting period of many years as it takes to process. The sponsors will need to demonstrate adequate income or assets to support the intending immigrant, and accept legal responsibility for financially supporting their family member, by completing and signing a document called an Affidavit of Support. Sponsoring these family members is all well intentioned and good, but the main issue comes when the sponsor, who must a sign an affidavit of financial support, intentionally or for whatever reason, fails to honor his commitment.
This part of immigration law, is hardly ever enforced so the recipients, have little choice but to apply for welfare assistance from the State and municipal government. The bottom line for any mass amnesty or as recorded Immigration Reform, gives those who are naturalized the right to petition (Form I-130 Petition for alien Relative) for their whole family, to legally enter America. But hundreds of thousands these petitions millions are processed and this has become an escalation of CHAIN MIGRATION, since the 1986. After the Hart/ Celler Act of 1965 when the Bracero Program was disbanded, the incentives and effects of chain migration perpetuated volume illegal migrants and immigration to the United States. In America the term 'chain migration' term to enlighten why legal immigration has quadrupled in replicating levels throughout the 1960s. As such, 'chain migration' is branded as one of the principal causes of the United States' current immigrant population explosion.
NumbersUSA, a a million plus organization that lobbies Congress for lower levels of immigration, states that, “one of the chief culprits in America's current record-breaking population boom and all the attendant sprawl, congestion, school overcrowding, health care deterioration, and other impacts that reduce American's quality of life. NumbersUSA cites the tradition of chain migration to America as a main cause for creating incentives for undocumented immigration.
NumbersUSA, FAIR, and other groups are working to change immigration law to limit chain migration laws. NumbersUSA cites a specific bill it supports. “On Feb. 4, 2009, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) introduced the Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R. 878). The bill would eliminate the extended family visa categories (e.g., married sons and daughters of citizens, etc.), thus ending “chain migration” as optional by the bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission in 1997.
Today, passage of the Dream Act is cause for worry or any kind of mass Immigration Reform, would jeopardize the minimum of entrances to the US, through CHAIN MIGRATION. One point to this quandary is America has a major deficit problem, that has risen to new heights of $14.5 Trillion dollars under President obama's signature hand. Simply put, we cannot afford to be the breadwinner for the rest of the world anymore. If we haven't the cash anymore to pay the Chinese Investors and others, how can we afford an Amnesty estimated to cost $2.6 Trillion dollars? Never mind the original giant Amnesty of the 1986 Immigration Control and reform Act, cost only 76 Billion dollars. This is just a projection of the Census Bureau’s 11 million illegal aliens who have homesteaded here. But most activist organizations are of the opinion, there are more than 20 million living illegally in the US, while 8 million plus foreigners have employment.
In this dragging recession how can Democrats, even discuss such an issue? Have the liberal progressives lost their minds, when there are 13 million American out of a job? It's too incomprehensible, to even conceive such an awful situation for the lower income workers having to compete with this new source of potential hires? The majority of illegal aliens today are-ECONOMIC; they are here for their share of discretionary spending at Federal, State or Municipal level.
One of the largest costs that would certainly make a difference is cutting benefits to illegal aliens. $113 Billion dollars, from the Federal government, that is not counting State, County and community for these hundreds of welfare and public services. Few know the amount of money paid out to parents of a child that receives an immediate birthright citizenship. Each child receives entitlements of what US citizens get, even though the parents are illegal.
EACH YEAR 300.000 PLUS BABIES ARE SMUGGLED ANNUALLY INTO AMERICA IN THE MOTHERS WOMB, TO GAIN THE SPECIAL PRIVILEGE OF A MISINTERPRETED LAW; THE 14TH AMENDMENT. Once here and the parents are allowed to stay, the–ECONOMIC–family can then collect from taxpayers. So what does these entitlements consist of to the taxpayer? For a start cash payments of around $600.00 according to the State, that can double, triple for ever baby born. Food stamps, Medicaid Wicca (WIC) is a nutrition program for women, infants and children), (TANF) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Low Income housing. The most disturbing effect of this particular issue, that other family member can join those already here and hid away in their government backed homes.
As thousands of people join the TEA PARTY, it is obvious that they have the right avenue towards building a better tomorrow. Their ticket to the 2012 elections is less government, less taxes (A fair taxing system, without loopholes for everybody) and reducing Illegal Immigration to a real trickle. When states like Arizona cannot rely on the US government, to construct the—REAL FENCE—at the border, then it has been forced by huge entitlement programs for foreign nationals crossing our sovereign perimeter to build another 78 miles of the fence through public and commercial donations. States are waking up as the look at their dwindling amounts of money in their treasuries? California, the first Sanctuary State that’s Liberal Congress, gives away freely benefits to millions of illegal alien homes. That’s why they are trying to climb out of a giant financial hole of $26 Billion dollars. ALABAMA, GEORGIA, ARIZONA are doing the right thing for their legal population, by enacting policing laws. Many states looking on are now supporting these restriction issues, because both political parties have ignored the laws to aid taxpayers. These new laws are–WORKING– because thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands are deserting these–zero tolerant–States and rushing of to California, Nevada and other refuge States.
Insist you’re Representative in Washington, that they rescind any Immigration reform bills, Sanctuary Cities and state, the Dream Act and anything that has the rotten stench of AMNESTY. Liberals and open border brain-dead individuals, always refer to every foreign aliens, as “Immigrants’” tying everybody together in one population. No matter your country of origin, whether Hispanic, European, Asian or the Pacific Rim, if you come here legally, there should be no fear of the E-Verify and Secure Communities. TO REPEAT ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS. THEY ARE ILLEGAL AND ENTERED A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION. LEGAL HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO PRIVILEGED VISAS, BUT WE MUST REMOVE THROUGH WHATEVER MEANS POSSIBLE TO DEPORT ILLEGAL Currently, illegal aliens are not only stealing jobs (should be a felony) from less schooled citizens, but residents and even students during the seasonable recess. NATIONALS. This is a very distasteful situation but birthright citizens and legal non-citizen individuals have a right to be employed over foreign nationals.
This is a patriotic chance to help your fellow jobless countryman by Calling House Leadership NOW Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121
Totally agree with Chris Hariss, since I have been waiting for 3 years and a half so I can rejoin my American wife and son. I am really thinking about just crossing cuz, this is just wasted time without my family that is not going to be made up for by the gov. or God.
Dealing your visa to rejoin your family in the US for an alien is a very tedious process. You may have to sit tight for five years or more than ten years for some. Unless the US government would make the decisions speedy, then the number of those who take the quick method to America and masking would be greatly minimized.