According to a Sept. 14 New York Times article, House Republicans have announced they will back a proposal that would require the Bush administration to build 700 miles of two-layered, reinforced fence along the Mexican border with the United States. This is one of many bills regarding border control the Republicans have promised to push through the House before the midterm elections.
Build double fence for two reasons\nThis fence should be built for two reasons: fairness and security.\nThe current situation is extremely unfair to legal immigrants. Folks coming into this country illegally are creating the stiffest competition for legal immigrants, not Americans. Legal immigrants have to compete with illegal immigrants for jobs, public housing and some social services.\nImmigrants who have obeyed the law and come to this country legally are the ones suffering most from illegal immigration.\nMost important, however, are the national security implications of illegal immigration.\nOur inability to identify, verify and track those coming across the border is likely to cost us the war on terror.\nTerrorists could easily use it to slip operatives and equipment into this country. Drug dealers and gang members might already have.\nA physical barrier can no longer be viewed as "optional." This section of fence is not going to solve all immigration problems, but it is a good first step.
Distraction from key issues is GOP objective\nI must echo the critics who maintain that this troubling proposal is a cheap trick on the part of the Republicans to distract voters from the more divisive and pressing issues during the next 60-odd days leading to the election. \nWith the GOP being markedly torn on key issues like the handling of the Iraq war and the military tribunals, it makes strategic sense to pull out a whopper of a Homeland Security proposal to dazzle the constituents. \nBut, like most conversations regarding immigration policy, this recent display exposes the failure to remember that we are talking about real people. They are not abstractions to be used for short-sighted political gains. They are human beings using a globalized marketplace and supporting our shared economy. \nHouse Republicans have chosen inappropriate timing and created an appalling proposal.
