Why Does Obama Not Take Border Security Seriously?

Renewed push for immigration legislation comes after Obama rejects "border security first" demand which stalled previous bill!

Readers may recall the controversy generated by proposed immigration legislation in 2007 that failed the "border security first" test. Well, it looks like Obama and the Dems are ready to try again.

No details yet on the bill they intend to advance in the Senate, but early signs from the Obama Administration show a rejection of the "border security first" call that was so important in defeating past efforts.

Border security has come to the forefront again in the wake of the growing problem in Arizona and the legislation that state enacted to deal with the violations of civil rights caused by violence and crime generated by illegals.

Fence. No Fence. Fence?

Remember too the controversy over building the border fence along the 2,000 mile border. Dems and some Republicans insisted that a smart fence, or "virtual fence" of sensors and cameras made more sense and was more environmentally friendly than an actual fence. So, we only built 643 miles of actual fence and planned to place sensors along other sensitive areas. Only one problem, the virtual fence was so ineffective, that the building housing it's headquarters along the border had to be surrounded with a real fence to stop vandalism.

The Obama Administration cut the real fence in 2009. Now they are eliminating the virtual fence after spending $billions which could have built REAL fences. While Senator Joe Lieberman, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee agrees that the virtual fence is a failure, who believes his suggestion for a REAL fence will be followed by Obama?

After all, Obama not only cut the real fence and virtual fence, he also cut back on border agents . Overall, Obama cut the border security budget by more than half for 2010.

Obama’s Border Insecurity Budget
by James R. Edwards, Jr.
Human Events
02/16/2010

...The ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, critiqued the budget submission this way: “The administration . . . didn’t find funds for any of the following critical homeland security programs: there is no funding for a single new detention bed, no increase in funds to find and deport immigration fugitives or criminal aliens, no additional special agents to investigate workplace immigration violations, no funding to expand the visa security program, and no funding to build any more of the border fence.”

Obama’s budget would actually reduce the size of the Border Patrol. The budget calls for cutting 180 officers of this agency. That’s the absolute wrong direction when the Southwest border continues to be breached hundreds of thousands of times every year. And many of the people illegally crossing the border, including people who’ve paid a professional human smuggler, are packing guns, drugs and other things you don’t want entering uncontrolled.

The administration apparently thinks the mere 643 miles of concrete and steel barrier wall along the 2,000-mile border is plenty. So, there’s no money requested for border fence construction.

What is SO Difficult about "Border Security FIRST?"

As Dems prepare for another immigration fight, those on the GOP side of the aisle seem to have gotten the message that the American people won't support ANY immigration reform which fails to tackle the issue of border security FIRST!

It's gratifying to see that Senator John McCain, who backed previous immigration reform understands this. Along with fellow Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R) he released a ten point border security plan on April 19. Sadly, Democrat Senators will likely ignore the McCain/Kyl plan or adopt one or two points and say "job done" before moving to some form of amnesty for the millions of illegals who remain.

But until Democrats show they are serious about border security and the removal of criminal aliens there is no way many on the GOP side of the aisle can or should consider any "reforms" which would merely serve to grant amnesty to those here illegally and exacerbate an already growing problem within our borders.

The bottom line is that the civil rights of Americans must come first. That means a secure border!