Reaction #4 - 11/26
Topic: Was the US Congress right to pass legislation to build 700 miles of fencing on its border with Mexico? - Is it moral and democratic to build such a fence? Background:
The debate over constructing fencing on the US-Mexico is not new. The Clinton administration, for example, passed legislation in the mid-90s that called for fencing around the major US metropolitan centers on the border. Yet, the extent of the inflow of illegal immigration (roughly 500,000 annually) as well as the growing Hispanic demographic in the United States has caused many people to view a more extensive fencing system as increasingly urgent.
The recent politics and legislation: The pressure to somehow resolve the illegal immigration problem caused the US House of Reps and the Senate to propose two immigration reform bills in late 2005 and early 2006. While both bills attempted to create a comprehensive approach that went far beyond border controls, they widely diverged on a philosophical level. Senate bill 2611 approached the the issue with a much more tolerant and inclusive approach. For example, it proposed an amnesty and a path to citizenship plan for illegal immigrants. The House bill 4437 in contrast adopted a much more strict approach, making the presence of illegal immigrants in the country an aggravated felony, which would invariably call for the detention and deportation of illegals. As a result of these major philosophical differences, compromise between the two bills became very unlikely. One of the major points of agreement between the legislation, however, was on building a border wall of some kind. The two chambers decided to adopt the plan to build a 700-mile wall, which was initially proposed in H.R. 4437. This passed through the House on Sept. 14th, 2006 in House Resolution 6061 (H.R. 6061) - "Secure Fence Act of 2006" - with a vote of 283 to 138. On September 29, 2006, the Senate confirmed H.R. 6061 by a vote of 80 to 19.[1] On October 26, 2006, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 6061, which was the voted upon and passed by the 109th US Congress.[2] The debate's key questions include the feasibility of constructing a fence of this length, the capacity of it and other measures to establish "operational control" over the borders and to deter illegal immigration, the extent to which illegal immigrants and "coyotes" (traffickers) will be able to adapt to the new security conditions and maintain a continuous stream of immigrants, the symbolism of this wall, the possible diplomatic costs, and the potential dollar costs.
PLEASE NOTE: The argument you are trying to make is to be focused on the morality of building of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border using the given information. Please try to keep your argument to this point.
Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE SECTION THAT READS, "Principles: Is it moral and democratic to build such a fence?" TO GAIN INFORMATION FOR YOUR ARGUMENT.
YOUR REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST the Morality of Building a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexican Border.
Please submit your response to your blog. Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.
