President Bush, appearing at a Paradise Valley resort at the foot of Camelback Mountain, authorized a Homeland Security Department funding bill Wednesday that features $1.2 billion for additional fences, technology and manpower along the U.S.-Mexico border.



“That’s what the people of this country want. They want to know that we’re modernizing the border so we can better secure the border,” Bush said, surrounded by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., three Republican U.S. representatives from Arizona and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The measure provides money for fences, vehicle barriers, lighting, high-tech ground-based radar and infrared cameras designed to prevent and detect illegal border crossings.

The bill also criminalizes construction of tunnels under the border, and provides funding for 1,500 additional U.S. Border Patrol agents and detention centers that will hold at least 6,700 people.

The detention centers are crucial to border security efforts because they will be used to house illegal immigrants until authorities are able to deport them. Currently, Border Patrol agents often use a “catch and release” approach when apprehending illegal immigrants, Bush said.

“Because there was no detention beds, the Border Patrol would say, ‘Why

don’t you check back in with us after awhile? There’s no place to hold you, so check back in with the judges.’ And of course, they didn’t check back in. It created a lot of frustration with the Border Patrol,” Bush said.

Specific placement of fencing and high-tech sensors along the 2,000-mile border has yet to be determined, Kyl said. Those decisions will be based on Homeland Security data.

Arizona, which has become the focal point of illegal crossings, is certain to receive a significant amount of the resources authorized by the bill, Kyl said after the ceremony.

“It’s not like Arizona gets money from this, but for example, when more Border Patrol agents are trained, they will be deployed here, fencing will be constructed here, vehicle barriers will be constructed here,” he said.

Overall, the appropriations bill provides $33.8 billion for a variety of programs within the Homeland S ecurity Department. The money also will be used to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency, deploy nuclear detection equipment at ports of entry and raise security standards at chemical plants.

While the legislation is aimed at helping secure the border, the measure fell well short of a five-point immigration plan Bush championed during a tour of the border near Yuma in May.

The president wanted 6,000 new Border Patrol agents by 2008, a guest worker program that would allow foreign nationals to work legally in the United States, creation of tamperproof identification cards to verify workers’ immigration status and a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States.

Bush renewed his call for those measures Wednesday. “The funds that Congress has appropriated are critical for our efforts to secure this border and enforce our laws,” he said.

“Yet, we must also recognize that enforcement alone is not going to work. You need comprehensive reform that provides a legal way for people to work here on a temporary basis. It’s going to relieve pressure on the border. It will enable our Border Patrol agents to do a better job when we reduce the number of people trying to sneak into the country,” the president said.

While the legislation doesn’t address the entire immigration matter, it’s a start, said Napolitano, who attended the signing ceremony at the president’s invitation.

“Congress needs to go back and look at the migration issues and the visa issues and temporary worker issues,” she said.

Earlier, during the fundraising portion of the program at the Camelback Inn, Bush urged those who paid at least $500 each for Danishes and coffee to support Republican candidates because of their dedication to the war on terrorism.

Dozens of anti-war protesters demonstrated along Lincoln Drive outside the resort.

The breakfast event, which attracted about 350 people, raised about $500,000 for Rep. Rick Renzi, according to his aides. Renzi represents the 1st Congressional District which includes regions of rural eastern and northern Arizona.

Contact Paul Giblin by email, or phone (480) 970-2331