Border fence bill passes amid strong opposition from religious leaders

Published: 2006-10-02

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Legislation calling for construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border passed both houses of Congress before they adjourned until after the November elections. The fence was widely criticized by advocates for comprehensive immigration reform, who said the bill was little more than an election-year stunt aimed at voters who want a crackdown on illegal immigration. In a Sept. 29 teleconference, Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. bishops' Migration and Refugee Services, said the bishops opposed a fence for a variety of reasons. For one thing, half of those who are in the country illegally come in legally and stay beyond their permitted period, he said. Also, a fence will not prevent people from attempting to cross into the U.S. over even more difficult terrain, he added. But it's also a moral issue, said Appleby, citing a Government Accountability Office report that showed the number of deaths in the southwestern deserts doubled after the United States began to blockade less hazardous crossing points in the 1990s.

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