UPDATE: Obama SIGNS $600M border security bill

Senate sends Obama $600M border security bill

rawstory.com

Senate sends Obama $600M bill to beef up personnel, equipment along Mexican border

Determined to show a commitment to stopping the flow of illegal immigrants, the Senate convened a special session Thursday and passed a $600 million bill to put more agents and equipment along the Mexican border.

The voice vote in the nearly empty Senate chamber sends the legislation to President Barack Obama, who has urged Congress to channel more money toward border security amid complaints from border states

(visit the link for the full news article)


[edit on Fri Aug 13th 2010 by TrueAmerican]

The bill is H.R. 6080.

And here is some of the summary text (read more at link):

Title I: Department of Homeland Security - Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, to: (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection for salaries and expenses related to staffing on the Southwest Border of the United States, construction of up to two Border Patrol forward operating bases along the Southwest Border, and border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology along the Southwest border; (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for salaries and expenses for law enforcement activities along the Southwest Border; and (3) Federal Law Enforcement Training Center training for new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents.

Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2012, for acquisition and deployment of unmanned aircraft systems.

(Sec. 101) Rescinds from unobligated balances certain funds for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology.

Title II: Department of Justice - Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, for Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement activities related to the Southwest Border.

Title III: the Judiciary - Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, for courts of appeals, district courts, and other judicial services.

States that funding shall be available for transfer between Judiciary accounts to meet increased workload requirements resulting from immigration and other law enforcement initiatives.

Title IV: General Provisions - (Sec. 401) Designates each amount made available under this Act as an emergency requirement and necessary to meet emergency needs.

(Sec. 402) Increases, for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2014: (1) the L visa (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant application filing fee and fraud prevention and detection fee by $2,250 for applicants that employ 50 or more employees in the United States if more than 50% of the applicant's employees are L visa or H-1b visa (nonagricultural specialty worker) nonimmigrants; and (2) the H-1b visa application filing fee and fraud prevention and detection fee by $2,000 for applicants that employ 50 or more employees in the United States if more than 50% of the applicant's employees are H-1b or L visa nonimmigrants.

Provides that during such period all amounts collected pursuant to such fee increases shall be deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury.

Emergency act huh? Yeah, it is. With more states like Florida passing measures after the controversial Arizona law, I guess they just had to do something to reign back in their control of the issue- lest the states take it completely into their own hands.

600M to protect our country at the borders, while they spend how much is it on the wars? TRILLIONS???

What in the everloving HELL is wrong with this picture???

NOT ENOUGH.


rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on Fri Aug 13th 2010 by TrueAmerican]

And it looks like Obama's going to sign it. It already passed the House, so this is going to become law...

Obama to sign bill approving $600 million for border security

President Obama will sign a bill Friday that provides $600 million in emergency funding to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border...

...Among other things, the bill provides for roughly 1,500 new law enforcement agents, new unmanned aerial vehicles, new forwarding operating bases and $14 million in new communications equipment.

CNN

reply to post by TrueAmerican


I'm glad to see something. I agree it's NOT enough! I wonder how Obama will screw this up?

SeaWind





[Mod Edit -Replaced unnecessary quote with Reply To Tab]

Mod Edit: Big Quote – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 13/8/2010 by Sauron]

The massive immigration into the US is important. It will continue to suck wealth from social systems, and also flood labor markets. Two important reasons we will have to look to the Federal Government to save our economy. Once it gets bad enough the American people will accept anything that will claim to aleviate the problem. The answer will be to abolish trade barriers, and establish a North American Union. This seems far fetched now, but watch the next five years carefully.

Well, it's law. A weak, feeble band-aid, but a law. Obama signed it.

rawstory.com...

Obama signs $600M bill to add more Border Patrol agents, equipment along Mexican border

President Barack Obama has signed into law a $600 million border security that will put more agents and equipment along the Mexican border.

Obama signed the bill in the Oval Office Friday alongside Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The measure will fund the hiring of 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to be deployed at critical areas along the border, as well as more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It also provides for new communications equipment and greater use of unmanned surveillance drones.

At least it's something.

Of course no one can ever be pleased by Obama.

People blame him for an issue that's not his fault (should of been dealt with a LONG time ago!) and then when he does something to help the situation, it's not enough and he will clearly screw it up?

reply to post by Miraj


Now if that isn't being a true Obama apologist, I don't know what is! Who's bashing Obama here? I am bashing the system, all of them at once, for throwing peanuts and bandaids at a problem that should be getting way more funding an attention. I guess my comparison to the TRILLIONS being spent on the wars didn't sink in, did it?