The border fence that wasn’t

A reader has sent this transcript from CNN’s July 4 “Situation Room,” hosted by Suzanne Malveaux, in which the guest, Rep. Duncan Hunter, tells how the president expressed “surprise” about the lack of progress toward the building of the border fence.

HUNTER: Well, he [Bush] is—he has not built the fence. I wrote that bill in October. It was passed by the Senate by a vote of 80-19. It was passed by the House overwhelmingly. That extends a double border fence 854 miles—mandates its extension across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. I checked the other day and the administration has only built 13 miles of the 854 miles… .

MALVEAUX: Have you talked to the president about this?

HUNTER: Yes, I have. I informed him the other day that it was only 13 miles. He expressed surprise at that… .

MALVEAUX: Did he know there was only 13 miles? …

HUNTER: It’s only 13 miles. No, he thought it was more than that. And who knows? I’m sure that the Department of Homeland Security has been telling him that things are great in terms of construction of that fence. But the fact—

MALVEAUX: But what did the what did the president think it was? …

HUNTER: Well, he didn’t have a—he didn’t have a number. He just expressed surprise that it—that that little, only 13 miles, had been accomplished at that point.

But we already know why Busheron and Chertoff have made no progress in building the fence that was voted last year by the Congress. He’s told us loud and plain this past May: It’s not possible to stop people coming illegally over the border until they stop coming illegally over the border and come legally instead. Since the amnesty has not been passed and there are still illegal immigrants coming into America, Busheron knew it would be hopeless to try to stop illegals coming in and he didn’t even try.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 11, 2007 12:26 AM | Send