Giffords’ border tunnels bill signed

By Jonathon Shacat
WICK NEWS SERVICE
Published/Last Modified on Friday, January 4, 2008 3:02 PM MST


BISBEE — President Bush recently signed into law a provision offered by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to ensure the federal government can prosecute smugglers who tunnel under the Arizona-Mexico border.


Under the new law, people who knowingly construct or finance the construction of a tunnel crossing the international border between the United States and another country shall be fined and imprisoned for up to 20 years.

There are additional criminal penalties for using a tunnel to smuggle illegal immigrants, goods, controlled substances, weapons of mass destruction or terrorists. “The congresswoman is very pleased that this is now the law of the land and she hopes this will go a long way towards strengthening border security,” C.J. Karamargin, communications director for Giffords, said during an interview Wednesday. Tom Carlson, of Citizens for Border Solutions in Bisbee, is not pleased with the new law. “They aren’t paying attention to the human side of the equation at all. They are just looking at more enforcement,” he said during an interview Wednesday. He recently wrote a letter to Giffords saying he thinks her legislation is another “band-aid” that fails to address the complexity of the situation.

“The Tunnel Enforcement Act that you have introduced, like the act to build a border fence, does nothing to solve the root problems of the thousands of decent people caught up in the maelstrom. It only increases the likelihood of even more desperate actions, more deaths and severe injury in the desert,” Carlson says in the letter.

The provision was approved by the House and Senate in December. Bush signed it into law on Dec. 26, according to Karamargin.

Copyright © 2012 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    Teresa Palombo wrote on Jan 11, 2008 9:30 AM:

    " For Drug smugglers - I say the penalty is O.K. 20 years and a fine but if someone is under aged and can prove they have family in the U.S. it needs to be dealt with in a social service manner rather than solely a criminal manner. You have to read Enrique's journey to understand the magnitude of the economic problems faced by central American families. I believe it is more important to be working with these Governments and their social institutions than the middle Eastern Countries. All that money we are wasting when latin American relations are relevant, "

    Bobby wrote on Jan 4, 2008 4:08 PM:

    " Sure I appreciate this action of Giffords, but considering she is a liberal Democrat, ALL OF WHOM WANT TO ERASE THE BORDERS OF THE U.S., I have prediction about her. The moment things get tough and she has to stick her political neck out for the best interests of America and Americans--SHE WON'T. Anyone care to make a friendly bet? "

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