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Flashback
2006: Senators Clinton and Obama Vote for Secure Fence Act, Bush
Signs Bill
Inquiring
minds are taking a flashback look at the Secure Fence Act of 2006,
signed by president Bush.
Mish Shedlock
30
January, 2017
The
Secure Fence Act of 2006’s goal is to help secure America’s
borders to decrease illegal entry, drug trafficking, and security
threats by building 700 miles (1,100 km) of physical barriers along
the Mexico-United States border.
Additionally, the law authorizes
more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting as well as
authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of
advanced technology like cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial
vehicles to reinforce infrastructure at the border. Congress approved
$1.2 billion in a separate homeland security spending bill to
bankroll the fence, though critics say this is $4.8 billion less than
what’s likely needed to get it built.
The
final roll call shows both Barrack
Obama and Hillary Clinton voted for the bill.
In
a CNN debate in Austin, Texas, Democratic presidential candidates
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton agreed Thursday night that the
Secure Border Fence Act of 2006, which directs the secretary of
Homeland Security to construct 700 miles of double border fencing
along specific sections of the U.S.-Mexico border, should not be
enforced as written.
Stressing
her desire to be deferential to the views of people who live along
the border in Texas — which on March 4 will hold a primary that is
widely viewed as a must-win event for the New York senator —
Clinton said of a border fence, “there may be limited places where
it would work. But let’s deploy more technology and personnel,
instead of the physical barrier.”
“Well,
I think both Senator Obama and I voted for that as part of the
immigration debate,” she started. “And having been along the
border for the last week or so–in fact, last night I was at the
University of Texas at Brownsville — and this is how absurd this
has become under the Bush administration. Because, you know, there is
a smart way to protect our borders, and there is a dumb way to
protect our borders. And what I learned last night when I was there
with Congressman [Solomon] Ortiz [D.-Texas] is that the University of
Texas at Brownsville would have part of its campus cut off.
“This
is the kind of absurdity that we’re getting from this
administration,” Clinton continued. “I know it because I’ve
been fighting with them about the northern border. Their imposition
of passports and other kinds of burdens are separating people from
families, interfering with business and commerce, the movement of
goods and people. So what I’ve said is that I would say, wait a
minute, we need to review this. There may be places where a physical
barrier is appropriate.
“I
think when both of us voted for this, we were voting for the
possibility that where it was appropriate and made sense, it would be
considered,” said Clinton. “But as with so much, the Bush
administration has gone off the deep end, and they are unfortunately
coming up with a plan that I think is counterproductive.
When
King then asked her whether she now thought her vote for the border
fence was wrong, she did not give a yes-no answer. Instead, she
suggested using more manpower and technology, instead of fencing, to
secure the border.
“But,
you know, John,” she said, “there’s a lot we’ve learned about
technology and smart fencing. You know, there is technology that can
be used instead of a physical barrier. It requires us having enough
personnel along the border so that people can be supervising a
certain limited amount of space and will be able to be responsive in
the event of people attempting to cross illegally.”
That
has to be one of the lamest of lame reversals in history. Somehow it
is counterproductive to have a fence, but not counterproductive to
create a wall of people to keep immigrants out.
And
Hillary moaned about Bush “absurdity”.
Mike
“Mish” Shedlock
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