Senate panel OKs new border fencing in Arizona

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The Senate Judiciary Committee agreed yesterday to erect new fencing along parts of the Arizona-Mexico border but stopped far short of a House proposal to build more fences over a wider area.

Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican and a member of the committee, pushed through the amendment to the massive immigration reform legislation being debated by the Senate.

The Kyl proposal calls for 200 miles of fencing and vehicle barriers along Arizona's border with Mexico, but no new fences in California, New Mexico and Texas.

"It will make it much more difficult for smugglers and illegal aliens to gain entry, significantly reduce crime rates in border towns, and preserve fragile desert lands and archeological resources which are impacted by illegal pedestrian and vehicular traffic," he said.

The amendment passed on a voice vote.

In December, the House voted to build 700 miles of fencing in all four states that border Mexico, a proposal that even conservative Senate Republicans oppose on the grounds that it would be too expensive. Instead, they favor a "virtual" border with sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles, increased border patrol agents and fencing in high population or high-traffic areas.

Yesterday's Judiciary meeting was the second day of negotiations over the immigration bill. Like the first day, yesterday's hearing put off several of the more contentious issues such as President Bush's proposed guest-worker program.

Last year, Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican, said he would move ahead with legislation that dealt only with border security.

But he allowed Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican and Judiciary Committee chairman, to offer a version that includes a guest-worker program with the understanding that if Mr. Specter's panel didn't complete a bill after five days of committee negotiations, Mr. Frist would move ahead with a security-only bill.

While panel members say they are optimistic that they will finish the bill, negotiations have been slow. On Wednesday, there often weren't enough members present to vote on amendments.