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Frank D. Russo

The California Progress Report is published by Frank D. Russo, a longtime observer of and participant in California politics.

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BORDER FENCE BUILT TO KEEP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OUT WAS CONSTRUCTED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?

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By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Hot news on the anti-immigration front. The Bush Administration's much touted high-tech program to track those who enter and exit the United States – labeled operation “U.S. Visit” is officially a flop. Efforts to implement the system using contemporary technology would cost “tens of billions”. At that price, said a Bush spokesman, the system would not be “cost effective”.

Indeed.

It helps explain the loony alternative of a 700 mile “fence”. Low tech to be sure, and unlikely to work (cf. “tunnel”), it is at least a visible sign of the Administration’s earnest purpose.

So the Bush Administration hired a Riverside “fence builder”. And, at some point, a smart white house aide thought to himself, “my golly, are these guys clean in their employment practices”?

Well, guess what? Two government audits concluded – before they got the contract – that the Golden Fence Company hired more than 100 illegal immigrants from 1999 to 2005. The Fence Company’s attorney’s response was that “mistakes were made. People slip through the cracks.” Slip through the cracks? In the fence? 100 people? That’s a lot of people. The company managers pled guilty to the criminal offense of “knowingly and willfully” making this “mistake”. They face jail terms. The company faces a $5 million fine.

Only in America would you find a company hired to build a fence to keep aliens out using aliens as the source of labor for that fence. But it’s cheaper, you see. You don’t have to pay taxes, workers compensation – why you don’t have to meet any worker safety regulations. No one can complain – they’re all lawbreakers. And, as one of the mangers noted, you are building a fence over rough country and “it’s hard to get people to do that kind of work”.

Indeed.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.

He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received adoctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Posted on December 15, 2006

Comments

Actually, a well built fence would work Coupled with an array of accoustic and sismic sensors to detect tunneling, fences would be great at delaying entry until Border Patrol personnel are present to apprehend illegal aliens. Political scientist should do their homework prior to commenting.

Posted by: Horace at December 19, 2006 12:38 PM

If you do a little research on the fence, you'd see that it in actuality an inner fence made of expanded metal and an outer solid steel fence 15 feet high staggered in height to prevent a ramp being used. The posts for the outer fence are 8 feet deep and have steel plate "fins" out to either side. This is supposed to deter tunneling. These Mexicans will find that they have to dig 10 feet deep minimum to get through the outer fence, then find that they have to tunnel under another fence to get throught to the U.S. This inner "no man's land" should have border patrol driving through every 5-10 minutes checking the fence. Seems like a good idea, but our government seems to screw simple things up easily. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Posted by: Joe at December 23, 2006 10:41 PM

hell yea

Posted by: Bob Seager at January 23, 2007 09:49 AM

Too bad the fence is only 700 miles long while the border is 1952 miles long.

The only way to really stop illegal immigration in a sustainable way is to reduce the factors that cause people to cross the border illegally. (Unemployment, poverty, violence and persecution, and a higher standard of living elsewhere).

For that to happen, the US needs to enforce fair labour standards, provide more foreign development assistance especially to countries we have colonized and impoverished through colonialism and supporting corrupt dictatorships (nicaragua, chile, afghanistan, iraq, iran, etc.) Currently we only give 0.19% of our huge GDP to foreign development assistance, 4% to domestic education, and 33% to war.

Posted by: Joya Banerjee at January 26, 2007 09:37 AM

Rep Tancredo is the only candidate that cares that we are becoming the welfare nation of the world. Too many candidates are focused on “They are good for our economy.” We are a nation, not an economy.

Posted by: Randy withers at February 2, 2007 09:05 AM

WE DO NOT NEED FENCES FOR THE BORDER WHATS SO BAD ABOUT IMMIGRANTS COMING TO OUR COUNTRY YOU FREAKIN RACIST PEOPLE!!

Posted by: Usama BinLadin at March 27, 2007 10:34 AM

i agree with usama, all you guys are hella racist! you all need to stop that bull, because all u white people know if you guys were immigrants, you would want to come but since not, you dont want us here!! just stop! we take jobs that you guys dont want to do. you know that!! just stop!!

Posted by: a mexican at June 1, 2007 02:00 PM

Which is most needed at present, some multi-billion dollar missile defence system thats beginning to allianate many Europeans or an "Illigal defence system" built along our borders costing much less and offering a probable solution to a potentially deadly problem!?
Every day this is delayed puts U.S. citizens a step closer to possible disaster!

Posted by: Al Clouse at June 11, 2007 04:50 AM

My relatives follow the rules. So shut up to all those who tell us "if you were illegal then you would do what the illegals are doing. WRONG!!!!!!! My Japanese side of my family did it the correct way and my husbands Armenian family did it the correct way. So you ignorant uneducated people get the hell out of here and do it the right way.

Posted by: follow the rules at July 18, 2007 09:40 PM

My relatives follow the rules. So shut up to all those who tell us "if you were illegal then you would do what the illegals are doing. WRONG!!!!!!! My Japanese side of my family did it the correct way and my husbands Armenian family did it the correct way. So you ignorant uneducated people get the hell out of here and do it the right way.

Posted by: follow the rules at July 18, 2007 09:41 PM

This is a nation WITH BORDERS, WITH LAWS, AND THEY ARE THERE FOR A REASON. Not protecting the borders and stemming the tide of illegal (no quotes necessary) immigrants will spell disaster for this country. Most of Latin America would move here if they could! The ONLY reason they can work for so little is because they don't pay taxes or health insurance. Take THAT out of their checks and they can't work for so little, either. It's not about race, it's about behavior, attitude, and a TOTAL LACK OF ASSIMILATION and respect. They jump the border, they take no oath to defend this nation.
What they need to do is stand up together and make their own countries be accountable for the fact that millions of their own want to leave! Where's the accountability of the nations whose populations leave in droves? If we continue down this path, we as a country are DONE.

Posted by: DO NOT OPEN FLOOD GATES at September 10, 2007 06:39 PM

I think every illegal that comes here should be sent back. Americans can't go to their country illegally and reap the benefit of free taxes, free or almost free housing, free food stamps, free education, free hospitalization,taxes exemption for businesses for 4 or 7 years. This is the only country that illegals can get away with this

It is very unfair for tax payers like me and others to have increased taxes because they are allowed to stay free. The increase taxes we are paying can pay some of my bills or buy more groceries in my home.

It is not true than Americans don't want the jobs they are working, Americans want the money to fit the jobs, and illegals want the same thing when they become legal. If America bring the jobs back to the USA, It would eventually save monies in the America because some Americans are beginning to stop buying products that are not made in the Usa. People are beginning to be afraid of buying items that are imported from SOME foreign countries.
We also need to inform them that English is the language in the USA and not Spanish. THIS IS AMERICA AND NOT MEXICO AND ILLEGALS HAVE NO RIGHT TO DEMAND ANYTHING. They need to go home and make any demands that they might have.

Posted by: Betty Snead at January 5, 2008 06:57 AM

You guys have no clue on what the fuck your talking about. illegals DONT BELONG IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!!! if they cant come in here the right way they dont need to be here at all.

Posted by: a person at May 6, 2008 06:28 AM

You guys have no clue on wtf your talking about. illegals DONT BELONG IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!!! if they cant come in here the right way they dont need to be here at all.

Posted by: a person at May 6, 2008 06:29 AM

You guys have no clue on what your talking about. illegals DONT BELONG IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!!! if they cant come in here the right way they dont need to be here at all.

Posted by: a person at May 6, 2008 06:29 AM

Illegal immigration is a real concern. It affects
all US citizens, not just a few. Would you allow a thief to come into your house and steal your food, your savings, your grandmother's medicare, your children's healthcare, your child's education
your hope's for a job? In effect, this is the result. Illegals come thru the back door and expect to be given all rights and privileges of those who have come thru the front door,respected this country and have earned the right to become US citizens. It costs the US citiizens billions in health care, $ that comes from our tax dollars to support your illegal infiltration..tax dollars help put food on your tables while taking it away from our own, tax dollars that take medicare away from citizens who have worked all thier lives here, only to be told that the system is becoming broke or there is no more funds...you take the jobs away from our eager young people who need the experience of earning thier own place in this world. While our teachers struggle to teach
illegal immigrant children, taking more time in the classroom. And all the while, our tax dollars keep going into the system to help your needs and you do not even pay an income tax because afterall you're an illegal and we all know, you can't legally be employed without a greencard or proof of citizenship, so the cycle goes round and round...You work, you keep, you get. We citizens work, we give, we pay, we pay more for our insurance because the hospital down the road has covered your illegal bills and is going bust, we give, we pay our taxes, you receive, we continue to be taxed, you continue to keep, we loose our jobs because our company just learned it's cheaper to pay a fine for hiring you than it is keep us on the payroll.

Posted by: Concerned Citizen at September 11, 2008 12:03 PM

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