It looks like President Bush has finally woken up about the need to complete the border fence even though he’s about seven years late on this issue. The Bush Administration will complete 600+ miles of border fencing by waiving environnmental laws in California, Texas, and Arizona that will slow work to build fencing and towers that will hold cameras and sensors to detect illegal immigrants crossing into the United States.
The tree huggers and BDS Crowd must surely be upset about this. In fact, they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which should tell them to “go fly a kite.” I’m also sure that the “incompetent” Democrat Congress will get involved in some way to halt this. However, we have proof of the madness of liberals and the open borders crowd. During the 1990s in San Diego, it took over 10 years to build 11 miles of border fence due to lawsuits. About 1 mile of border fence was built per year in San Diego – which is pathetic.
I say good for the Bush Administration to do this even though it should have been done years ago.
You can read Michael Chertoff’s statement here on this issue.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Not saying he is right or wrong. But the way the announcement was made by Michael Chertoff really needs some English lessons to understand. I know I am not Enlish, but he really stretched the language top bits there.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Obeying the law is not voluntary, it is mandatory, and Secretary Chertoff cannot claim that he is sweeping aside a host of laws on the border in defense of immigration laws. In a nation of laws all laws must be respected, not just those that are convenient.
Equal protection under the law is meant to be a fundamental right shared by every American, but the Real ID Act makes the legal rights of citizens who live near the border conditional on Secretary Chertoff’s whims. Section 102 of the Real ID Act of 2005 states, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive all legal requirements such Secretary, in such Secretary’s sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section.� No one else is granted this extreme power under any circumstance. The president cannot waive our nation’s laws even in times of national crisis, and Secretary Chertoff cannot waive the laws that protect citizens who live away from the border. Only border residents may have their legal protections waived.
The only reason for Secretary Chertoff to waive these laws is because he knows that the border wall will violate them. In setting these 36 federal laws aside Secretary Chertoff sets himself above the law. If congress allows unchecked power to remain in the hands of an unelected administration appointee they are complicit in fundamentally undermining the rule of law. Leaving the Real ID Act on the books and allowing Chertoff’s waivers to stand sets a precedent that should outrage the American people. If our nation’s laws can be set aside to build a border wall today, they may be similarly set aside for whatever crisis politicians discover in the next election cycle.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
#1 – Please expand. While I appeciate your comment, it is not clear.
#2 – The border and protecting it and defending our nation is the top concern (or should be) of a President.