US House backs fence along border with Mexico

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives today authorised building a fence along portions of the border with Mexico in a vote critics said had more to do with election year politics than controlling illegal immigration.

The Republican-written bill, approved on a vote of 283-138, calls for construction of about 1126.53km of fence along the 3,200 km border with Mexico. Democratic opponents said the measure was a charade designed to help Republicans ahead of the November 7 elections.

"This is to score political points that are going to be demagogued in 30-second ads," said Representative Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat. He accused Republicans of trying to appeal to the "fears and passions" of people. He and other Democrats called for a broad immigration overhaul along the lines of the bill passed by the US Senate that would create a guest worker programme and legalise millions of illegal immigrants.

President George W Bush backs comprehensive legislation and a guest worker programme and spoke about the need for it during a meeting with House Republicans at the Capitol today. But the issue divides Republicans. Many feel the Senate bill would grant amnesty to people who broke US law and it is unlikely a broad immigration bill will pass this year.

Instead, House Republican leaders plan to pass a series of border security measures before lawmakers break at the end of the month to campaign for the elections. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said the fence and other efforts would be added to a domestic security spending bill for next year that the House and Senate are hoping to finish by the end of the month.

Republican supporters of the fence said it was a step toward controlling the borders and would help stem the flow of illegal immigration while reducing drug smuggling and other crimes.

An estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in the last fiscal year trying to cross into the United States along the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Sections of the fence will be built in each state.

"We have to know who is coming across our borders and what they are bringing with them," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who heads the House Armed Services Committee.

"If we build it, they will no longer come illegally," Hastert said after the vote.

But even some Republicans opposed the piecemeal approach.

"We're really not debating anything of substance," said Representative Jim Kolbe, an Arizona Republican. "This is a feel good piece of legislation."

- REUTERS