Washington, D.C. —
Senator John Thune today announced that the U.S. Senate approved the Border Security First Act of 2007 as an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. The Act authorizes $3 billion in emergency funding to be used to secure the southern border of the United States.
"If we do not take steps to secure our border, our country will remain vulnerable," said Thune. "The American people have been extremely skeptical about whether the President and the Congress are serious about securing the border. Passage of this amendment is a step in the right direction."
The Border Security First Amendment requires the President to have operational control of 100 percent of the southwest border within two years and appropriates $3 billion for the purposes of training and deploying 23,000 full-time border control agents and constructing 700 miles of fencing along the border, as well as 300 miles of vehicle barriers. The Act also provides for 105 radar and camera towers and four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and directs that any funds left over after satisfying the border security requirements be used for stepped up interior enforcement.
"The safety of all Americans is paramount, and the first step to ensuring our safety is to secure the border," said Thune. "We are a nation of immigrants, but we must first be a nation of laws. Our nation's dysfunctional immigration system has already allowed millions of individuals to enter our country illegally, and it is imperative that we stop the flood of illegal immigrants coming across the border as quickly as possible."
"If we do not take steps to secure our border, our country will remain vulnerable," said Thune. "The American people have been extremely skeptical about whether the President and the Congress are serious about securing the border. Passage of this amendment is a step in the right direction."
The Border Security First Amendment requires the President to have operational control of 100 percent of the southwest border within two years and appropriates $3 billion for the purposes of training and deploying 23,000 full-time border control agents and constructing 700 miles of fencing along the border, as well as 300 miles of vehicle barriers. The Act also provides for 105 radar and camera towers and four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and directs that any funds left over after satisfying the border security requirements be used for stepped up interior enforcement.
"The safety of all Americans is paramount, and the first step to ensuring our safety is to secure the border," said Thune. "We are a nation of immigrants, but we must first be a nation of laws. Our nation's dysfunctional immigration system has already allowed millions of individuals to enter our country illegally, and it is imperative that we stop the flood of illegal immigrants coming across the border as quickly as possible."