Tancredo: House Understands Border Issues, But Senate Doesn’t

BENSON — U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo says that when it comes to understanding Americans’ anger about the border, the House of Representatives has got it and the Senate doesn’t.

And, he said, the American people want the border with Mexico secured and the president enforcing U.S. immigration law.

During a morning stop in Benson, the Colorado Republican pointed to the recently passed bill in the House that requires building 700 more miles of wall along the southern boundary, along with hiring additional Border Patrol agents and adding more technology to secure the border is the right thing.

But he fears the Senate will not follow suit and fall under the sway of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and big businesses, meaning the House members would have failed in their attempt to protect the country.

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Bay Buchanan, whose brother Pat has been a Republican presidential candidate, joined Tancredo on the tour.

A founder of Team America Political Action Committee, she said Republican senators have to be told not to cave into big business and corporation cheerleaders, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She said the message the senators must hear is “secured the border, enforcement only.”

President George W. Bush praised the House of Representatives in passing the enforcement bill. But, Buchanan said, Bush hasn’t said he wants to secure the border without a guest-worker program. She said that view is wrong and not want people want.

“Do not be fooled,” she said. “They are not going to say guest worker, they are going to say enforcement.”

The guest worker phrase will not be used, but they will claim enforcement will be difficult without some kind of policy to help Mexico and other countries, whose citizens are illegally entering the United States, Buchanan claims.

“Guest worker is nothing more than amnesty,” she said.

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Roger Barnett, a Sierra Vista businessman and Douglas-area rancher, listened to Tancredo and Buchanan. He said Americans are seeing their jobs eliminated because illegal immigrants will work for less.

“Businesses are paying slave wages,” he said.

If the United States does not close down the border and enforce existing immigration laws, more Americans will lose pay and benefits because illegal immigrants will take their jobs, Barnett said. “Big business are the whores,” he added.

Buchanan called on people to start a campaign to force the Senate, while simultaneously strengthening House members to stay the course, by refusing to kowtow to businesses.

“We need to drown out the voice of corporate America,” she said.

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