Bush Signs Bill Authorizing 700 Mile-Long Fence on Mexican Border

On Thursday October 26, President Bush signed a controversial bill authorizing the construction of a 700 mile-long fence that will stretch across the border between the United States and Mexico. As reported by Michael A. Fletcher and Jonathon Weisman of The Washington Post, the bill has created controversy among both democrats and republicans.
According to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn,) "The American people demand border security, and this Republican Congress and President are committed to achieving operational control of the border through an enforcement-first approach." Many Republicans are vying for stronger and tougher regulation of illegal immigration and view the passage of the bill as a first step in controlling the flow of illegal immigrants across the Mexican border. According to the Washington Post, Bush also “portrayed the measure as a key step toward comprehensive immigration reform”; yet signing the bill has placed him in conflict with international allies and his personal immigration principles. The government of Mexican president Vicente Fox , has made it very clear that he wished the bill to be vetoed by President Bush.
Bush had originally called for legislation that would combine increased re-enforcement at the border with a legalized guest-worker program for low-skilled workers entering the United States. He also wanted to create legislation that would provide illegal immigrants already living in the United States a chance to acquire citizenship. “These measures were rejected by Congressional Republicans who wish to take a tougher stance on immigration.”(Washington Post) A large part of the motivation for Bush to sign the bill could be the fact that the passage of the bill into law could help win votes for Republicans in many of the upcoming Congressional elections.
Congressional Democrats are unhappy with the bill and many feel that the construction of the fence will not be an effective measure in the control of illegal immigration. It would be technically challenging to construct a fence on many stretches of the border, which are marked by rough terrain. It would also be easy for smugglers to break through the fence in remote stretches of the border. At this point in time, only a small portion of the billions necessary for the construction of such a fence have been appropriated.