Duncan Hunter to Bush: Where's The Fence?

Here is Rep. Duncan Hunter's letter to President Bush on the status of the border fence:

August 21, 2007

President George W. Bush

The White House

Washington D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

It is clear that we are falling behind in the construction of border security fencing as mandated by the Secure Fence Act (P.L. 109-367), which you signed into law on October 26, 2006. Unless construction is promptly accelerated, deadlines for the completion of fencing will not be met.

In addition to a completion date of May 30, 2008 for 392 miles of fencing extending from Calexico, California, to Douglas, Arizona, the Secure Fence Act mandates that 30 miles of fencing be completed in the Laredo, Texas, sector by December 31, 2008. Unfortunately, these scheduled mandates will be missed unless fence construction commences immediately in these locations.

It is my understanding that approximately $800 million is currently available for the installment of border infrastructure. Despite this funding, only 17.9 of the 854 miles of fencing called for in the Secure Fence Act have been completed as of August 10, 2007. This lack of progress is unacceptable, especially when adequate funding is available to earnestly proceed with fence construction.

My recommendation is that you immediately direct the Department of Homeland Security to execute contracts in such a way that all fencing locations identified in the Secure Fence Act are constructed concurrently. This will allow the construction of fencing to continue as necessary while ensuring specific fence construction deadlines are met.

Not only is our open and unprotected Southern land border a major exposure in the War on Terrorism, but large and increasing numbers of illegal aliens, as well as dangerous criminal populations, continue to move freely across the border. For the security of the United States and safety of our nation's citizens, I respectfully request that border fence construction be immediately accelerated.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in delivering this much needed element of security to our Southern land border.

Sincerely,

Duncan Hunter

Member of Congress

 

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PS to Duncan Hunter letter

 

PS. Dear Pres. Bush,

I would be happy to do the job of building the fence for you as it is obviously a job politicians won't do.

You and Johnny Sutton can just get out of the way and we will have it done in a year. 

I gave a copy of the letter to my Senator Barbara Boxer and asked her why she was not outraged at the lack of fence.

All Grassfire members do the same!

Also sent to Numbers USA and asked them to put an Alert out to thank Congressmen Hunter and to ask all other Senators and Congressman where is their letter?  Where is their Outrage?

 

"The Fence"  I think that well all know President Bush is not interested in the fence at all!  Here in Texas nothing is happening on the fence at all!  Mr. Bush has to much money invested in the Non-American Mexicans on his ranch and his privite business.  He along with his budies of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Etc.  and Mexican's from Mexico would spend every last dollars he has (are maybe I should say our last dollar) to have things his way!  Somewhere in his being our president he became a man for himself not the people anymore!  He I think want's to leave the white house in a mess so he dosn't look so bad.  Who ever our next president is will have his hands full trying to clean up Bush's screwup's and by the time he is down he will have done nothing the people wanted him to do!  He'll probly be known as a do nothing president like President Carter was called!  Well i hope the next President has the b_lls of steel and is fare above the low life tactic's that Bush has used.            God Bless America, God Bless Texas, and God Bless the Next President (did someone say President Clinton?)  "Indian Boy" 

Border fence's slow progress panned
By Richard Marosi
Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fence25aug25,1,1555869.story

San Diego -- Nearly a year after Congress passed legislation calling for the construction of 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, about 15 miles have been built, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Some Republicans and anti-illegal immigration groups have recently criticized the lack of progress, but Homeland Security, which had committed to putting up 70 miles of fencing by Sept. 30, said the project was back on track after being slowed by environmental, hiring and design issues.

Workers are scheduled to break ground next week on a seven-mile stretch southwest of Tucson. Work on the remainder of a 37-mile barrier near Yuma, Ariz., will also continue.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), a longtime fence supporter, said in a letter to President Bush last week: 'This lack of progress is unacceptable, especially when adequate funding is available to earnestly proceed with fence construction.'

Bush signed the Secure Fence Act last fall in hopes that bolstered enforcement would lead the then-Republican-led Congress to pass broader immigration overhaul.

Opponents said that the legislation came during an election year when many lawmakers expressed skepticism about the idea but didn't want to be vulnerable to attacks for being soft on border enforcement.

'It was an election-year political gimmick. People knew that it was more about symbolism than about reality,' said Tamar Jacoby, a Manhattan Institute policy analyst who supports immigration reform.

The act calls for fencing in five areas along the 1,952-mile border. The longest stretch -- from east of Calexico, Calif., to Douglas, Ariz. -- would be about 300 miles long. Other large segments would be built along the Rio Grande in Texas. There are about 90 miles of fence, most of it in California.

The White House has said the border cannot be controlled by fencing alone, insisting that vehicle barriers, improved sensors, camera towers and more agents must be added.

Homeland Security set a timetable that calls for 300 miles of fencing and 150 miles of vehicle barriers to be built by the end of 2008. Congress allocated $1.2 billion for border improvements this year. The administration requested $1 billion for 2008.

But construction couldn't begin, officials said, until more effective fencing could be designed, contractors hired and environmental issues addressed. Outside Yuma, for instance, the fence is being built with small holes to allow movement by the horned lizard. The government also has met with opponents of the plan.

'The administration has made the decision to address local land concerns and environmental concerns to the extent that they can. . . . It slows the process down, but we're still committed to getting it done. Ultimately, the goal is to secure the border,' said Brad Benson, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, the agency responsible for the fence.

The plan calls for much of the fencing to be built by the National Guard. But with the administration reducing guard troops on the border by half, to 3,000, by October, labor may be in short supply. And the recent reassignment of about 100 Border Patrol agents to fence building may not be enough, anti- illegal immigration groups say.

To immigration reform advocates, the lack of progress is a hopeful sign that the fencing may never be completed.

'It's just absolutely wrong. The fence is not going to stop anything,' said Enrique Morones, president of the Border Angels, a immigrant-rights group. 'I think people really do realize that it is not the solution. . . . It's extremely expensive, and it's not effective.'

******We were mentioning in another thread about maybe they should just put in doggy doors for the lizards....well Ill be....they did just that. They left holes for the little lizards...lol

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I dont think he did nothing Indianboy. Ive never seen any one turn so drastically to do everything in his power to give our country away. He will indeed be known for that. TREASON!

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Indian Boy,

The ones running for our next president, all of them were for the amnesty bill and probably do not care about the fence either.   So I do not expect that whoever gets in will do anything more about the fence.  Actually one of them won't have any b-lls at all.  God help us all when it comes to the next election.  As far as I can see none of the candidates are going to do what the majority of the Americans want anyway.  All I see is that Congress seems to be against everything American people want.  They are just interested in the almighty dollar in their pocket.   Look how hard it was to convince the senators to vote against  the last anmesty bill.

I also copied Duncan letter and sent it to my reps,and asked them where is their letter to the President.

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I may get flamed for this but here goes.  I am 61 years old, retired and disabled and I have been fighting this battle for a few years longer than grassfire and longer than most organizations out here.  I have been in the middle of almost every movement to close our borders.  I have donated all I can donate and it seems every day I receive another email from grassfire with some would be action that they are taking if only I would send them some more money.  I would think at 15 dollars a fax they would be rolling in money.

Maybe if they quit flying around the country side and making the public speaches at the border there would be money.  I am a member of numbersusa and there I fax for free.  I make a monthy donation of 25 dollars to them and they seem to be happy with that and I think they do a much better job of keeping me informed and putting pressure on Congress and the President.

I am beginning to believe grassfire is like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson in it for the money.  I post here because I have sent several letters and emails to them and I never get a reply. 

I exptect the post to be deleted doubt they will let it stay out there long it might hurt their money machine.   

tomsr - I use Numbers USA for faxing and also for alerts, they are the reason I even knew about Senator Boxers "meeting" for constituents last week.

I have used Grassfire only a couple of times for faxes.  I gave $$$ for the TV ad but I never actually saw it on TV except for on Lou Dobbs and other TV shows. 

I asked them repeatedly to tell members how much the ads cost and how much they had collected and then where and when the ads would run so we could see our hard earned dollars at work.  I never saw any posting.

So, I give to Numbers USA and to Candidates like Hunter and Tancredo.

They might not win the Primary, but they are in the news and on the air and covering my primary issue like illegal immigration. 

I post and talk all the time on Fire Society because as I find out stuff I want to alert a large number of people and I also want to be alerted.

Please stay with us and talk and share!  We don't care if you give any dollars.  We just want your views and support.  My motto is give only to where you see action!  If you see action supporting the talk then give there.

I see actions in Congressmen Hunter and Tancredo.  I see actions in Numbers USA.  I saw some action in Grassfire with the ad - but never on TV only on talk shows - so I gave some - but not anymore until the transparency is a bit more open.

PS - Numbers USA is also great for researching if you send them a "tip".

Finally - last night I got a call from Fred Thompson's team.  They wanted a donation.  I told them exactly what I am telling you.  I said if they want money from me then I need to see Fred Thompson on TV saying exactly this:  

"We have room for but one flag, the American Flag.  We have room for but one language, the English language, and we have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is a loyalty to the American people. "  -  -  Pres. Theodore Roosevelt.

and promising no flip flops like, McCain, Kyle, Grahamn and TX Gov Perry (and many more). 

I need to see action that indicates he is not for sale and neither is America under his watch.

My question is what good is the fence if they are planning on opening the border to Mexican trucking in September?  Truck rides for sale to illegals. USA truckers are going to lose business on return trips. 

CJBL, 

I like your comments on Numbers USA, too. 

Thank you for your truthful comments.  

I've actually gotten a letter from my congress woman as a response to one of my faxes from Numbers USA, so they are getting through!

wizzey, The thing about the fence is that if it were build like the law said to it would be like having having in home security.  Anytime a illegal was coming down on the USA side the bells and whisles would go off in the border patrol office or vehicle and let them know!  The fence would be build from some thick reinforced metel like steel and just to try and destroy it would be next to imposable.  The illegals would be tracked, watched and arrested.  If this was to happen over and over again i think sooner or later they'd give up "maybe" ( I say maybe because when you have something that somebody else wants like money, freedom, welfare, schools, and in addision to that if their children are born on USA ground then they become American's like it or not!  That's the law right now!  Think about it for a bit and you'll see things in your home, car, schools, etc. that they want to!  The problem is that they don't want to wait for it, so they do the next best thing and that's go to the USA, get illegal id's, have the kids while they are here on welfare and then they go back to Mexico and then they spend  their money in Mexico!  Why is this bad you ask?  Well when they spend American Money in Mexico, the the country of Mexico returns it to the USA for Gold in it's place!  The President of Mexico likes that very much!  when the money they spent in Mexico is all gone, well no problem i'll just swim the Rio Grande again and make more money from the rich people who love to pay us big time money!  What do they make you say?  Well let's put it this way to you, most American who work in the fields get the minimin (bad speller i am) pay of $6 or $7 an hour, but the Illegals work for a lower pay like $4 or $5 a hour or less and they don't cause any trouble for the Business because they don't want to see our free's from Imagration because they will take their money, freedom and pack them up and send them back to Mexica!!!  WOW how did I learn all this in just 33 years of living in Texas?   "Indian Boy"   

Does anyone actually expect "JORGE BOOSH" to build the border fence?

Maybe Hilary will get it built!  Just kidding!

 

 

 

 

 

                       North Dakota Groundhog

Bless Duncan Hunter!! Bless Tom Tancredo!! Bless Ron Paul!! These are the only really true Americans right now!  The rest are for sale and lip service to the highest bidder!!  Where the hell is everyone on these mexican trucks running into our country starting this weekend - Sept 1st - Labor Day weekend - no passports - no driver's licenses - no insurance - no english!! How many have driven in the snow?? Who is going to tow them when they break down in traffic?? Have a flat tire?? Rob and Rape and Hit and Run??This seems to be the pattern - don't talk to me about gwb - I voted twice for the weazle and I have to live with that until I die!! Shame on me!!

I LOVE my precious Constitution and Bill of Rights - that is what made America GREAT - now it is in the trash heap and not much is left.  We ARE following in the footsteps of the Nazis sure as crap - 

I am a 66 year old woman - and a 3rd Deg Master Mason - I have lived my Masonry for 54 years - one way or another - and I am devastated with all this graft and corruption and disolution of our FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS! I AM Judie here

wizzey said: My question is what good is the fence if they are planning on opening the border to Mexican trucking in September?  Truck rides for sale to illegals. USA truckers are going to lose business on return trips. 

 

That was my thought exactly!!!  If my first thought was truckload after truckload of illegals, you can bet they are thinking the same way.  They don't know the rules of the road here.  Have you ever seen them drive in Mexico?   And an express lane ??  I drove to San Diego 2 weeks ago and for the first time I was in stop and go traffic.  I thought there must have been and accident or something ahead.  On an incline I saw clear road ahead but in the express lane was a garderners truck putting along doing 50mph.  Beside him were other slow drivers.  Nobody could go around them.  When it thinned out enough to get through, all the slow drivers looked of foreign origin.  I don't mean for this to sound racist.  It is just demographics.  This is what we have to look forward to?

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I guess there are some jobs Americans won't do, so maybe we should replace the politicians who won't do the job for some that will.  See you at the polls in November!!

I saw a commercial tonight on tv advertising for applicants for Border Patrol. Guess they need more people to put in jail for defending their country and trying to keep out the criminals coming here with drugs.

Did anyone see C-Span this morning besides me? Representative Russell Pearce (R) from Arizona and Jason LeVecke, Arizona employers for immigration reform was on there. This LeVecke guy wouldn't let Mr. Pearce talk hardly at all, he almost took over the whole show. One caller asked him how many illegals he has in his employment? He didn't know if they were legal or not, he just assumes that they are all legal. Duh, what else can you expect from this man. Mr Pearce got a few words in. He is totally pushing for the fence to be built, employers should not hire illegals, there needs to be some way to check to see if a person is illegal before they are hired. LeVecke was talking about all the money that was sitting in social security that was paid in by illegals that can't get it. One lady called in and told him that more money is being spent by taxpayers (legal) on taking care of them with housing, food, welfare money, medical, etc. One woman called in from Lubbock TX saying that her husband was here illegally, they deported him and it was putting such a hardship on her and their 4 kids, she had to apply for all the free stuff even though she didn't want to because her husband isn't there to take care of them. Poor thing, I just wonder why she married an illegal and had 4 kids by him here in the USA, guess she didn't realize he might someday get sent back where he belonged. Why didn't she go with him or go there to live in the first place. She was probably on assistance while he was with her,most of them are. Maybe she could get a job or something? I know  the excuse is they had kids and can't work. Excuse me, I had children and I worked. Where theres a will there is a way!! If our government would quit giving all these people free everything paid for by the American Citizen Taxpayers maybe they would go back where they belong.

You can tell the vehicles that mexicans are driving. I use to get the kids to school in 6 mins. All last school year it took me about 14 mins. I wanted to take a nap on the way. So frustrating, I would say,"Oh Lordy, here we go again". I think they are afraid they will be stopped by the police, since they are all here illegally. I'm fed up too.