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Originally Posted by samcol
Someone please tell me this is a joke.
H.R. 418
Sec. 102) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary), in the Secretary's sole discretion, to waive all laws as necessary to ensure expeditious construction of certain barriers and roads at the U.S. border. Prohibits courts, administrative agencies, and other entities from reviewing the Secretary's decision or from ordering relief for damages alleged to have resulted from such decision. |
I don't know all the environmental impacts caused by these fences, but I believe they want to bypass some of the environmental restrictions especially around San Diego.
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Policy Issues
The completion of the border fence is likely to be an issue faced by the 109th Congress. At issue, is the balance between the preservation of the environment in border regions and the requirements of domestic security. On the one hand are environmental interests who believe that the environmental damage caused by the border fencing is not justified because the fencing merely shifts unauthorized migration and therefore does not contribute significantly to national security.
Others are concerned with the potential precedent that could be set with giving the Secretary very broad waiver authority. On the other hand are those who believe that the border fences have been an effective tool in discouraging aliens from crossing the border in those areas where they have been constructed, and that the environmental damage caused by their construction is an unfortunate but necessary reality of securing the border.
If the 109th Congress should take legislative action on the border fence, possible policy alternatives may include
!allowing DHS to waive some or all applicable laws in order to expedite the construction of all fences along our international borders;
!allowing DHS to waive some or all applicable laws only to finish the construction of the 14-mile triple-fence in San Diego;
!establishing a panel of experts to review all proposed border fence construction projects; and
!requiring DHS to propose alternative construction plans that would mitigate the environmental impact of the fence’s construction.
CRS Report for Congress
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