Government Technology

Secure Fence Act Passed


October 26, 2006 By

Part of the Bush administration's strategy for immigration reform is to secure the borders. Increased funding--from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 billion in 2006, the addition of thousands more Border Patrol agents and now hundreds of miles of fencing reinforced security measures outlined in the Secure Fence Act signed by President Bush this morning.

"The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border," said Bush. "The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. The bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology, like cameras and satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border. We're modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st century technology we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job."

Bush went on to say how a middle ground must be found to address the problem of illegal immigrants already in the U.S., that neither amnesty to grant automatic citizenship or a program of mass deportation properly. He also said that widespread document fraud makes it difficult to verify legal status and that, for now, both employers and workers need to be held accountable for breaking the law until a better system is developed for worker eligibility and document verification.

As the President Bush prepared to sign the bill he said, "the bill I'm about to sign is an important step in our nation's efforts to secure our border and reform our immigration system. I thank the members of Congress for joining me as I sign the Secure Fence Act of 2006."

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