President Bush Approves 700 Miles of Border Fencing in Arizona

The state of Arizona has been at the forefront of the debate over securing U.S. borders, so it was a fitting place for President George W. Bush to hold a bill-signing ceremony during his three-day campaign fundraising trip out West. Bush signed into law a $35 billion homeland security bill that may result in about 700 miles of fencing being built along the Arizona border, the busiest entry point for illegal aliens crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

"This bill is going to make this country safe for all its citizens," Bush said. The homeland security funding will allow the government to install nuclear detection equipment at points of entry, enhance safety and security standards at chemical plants, and develop better tools for enforcement of immigration laws. The money will also help pay for vehicle barriers, floodlights, and infrared cameras that will help border patrol agents catch illegals who are trying to cross the border.

"It’s what the people in this country want," Bush said of the $1.2 billion set aside for fencing. "They want to know that we are modernizing the border so we can better secure the border."

Mexican President Vicente Fox has called the idea of a U.S./Mexico barrier fence "shameful," saying that the idea is reminiscent of the Berlin Wall. Fox, who has been in power for six years in Mexico, has spent much of that time lobbying for a new guest worker program in the U.S. as well as amnesty for the millions of Mexicans who are already working illegally in the United States.

A diplomatic note was sent to the U.S. government from Mexico saying that building hundreds of miles of fencing on the border between the two countries would damage diplomatic relations. Bush said that he is continuing to work with Congress to pass his guest worker program. But with midterm elections coming up next month, lawmakers have been more vocal than usual about border security issues.