House to Consider Border Fence Amendment

Conservatives who want to construct a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border will have an opportunity to insert language into the fast-moving immigration reform bill that is scheduled for a House vote as early as today.

Here are the 15 amendments under consideration, which I thank the Office of the House Democratic Whip for providing me:

1. Carter Amendment.  To require the Homeland Security Secretary to include satellite communications in the plan authorized by Section 106.
2. Gohmert Amendment.  To require the Inspector General to refer any instances of misconduct or wrongdoing on a contract to the Homeland Security Secretary for evaluation.
3. Sam Johnson Amendment.  To add a Sense of Congress that the President, Attorney General, Secretary of State and other Department Secretaries should immediately use every tool at their disposal to enforce immigration laws.
4. Renzi Amendment.  To require that all uniforms procured for the Border Patrol be made in the US.
5. Castle Amendment.  To require DHS to submit a timeline for: equipping all land borders with the US-VISIT entry-exit system; deploying the exit component of the US-VISIT system at all land borders; and making all border security screening systems used by DHS interoperable.
6. Gingrey Amendment.  To suspend the Visa Waiver Program until the automated entry-exit program is operational and all ports of entry have functional biometric machine readers.
7. Campbell Amendment.  To prohibit any grant amount to any Federal, State or local agency or entity that prohibits its officials from sending information to DHS regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual.
8. Jackson-Lee Amendment.  To provide guidelines for implementing the secured alternatives to the mandatory detention provision included in the bill.
9. Castle Amendment.  To require DHS reports on several items including: the number of undocumented aliens from noncontiguous countries who are apprehended at the border; and the number of such aliens from countries identified as sponsors of terrorism.
10. Brown-Waite Amendment.  To add a new section that declares that Congress condemns rapes by smugglers along the international border.
11. Hunter/Dreier Amendment.  To mandate the construction of specific security fencing along the Southwest border and require a study one the use of physical barriers at the Northern border.
12. DeFazio/Lungren Amendment.  To direct the Customs and Border Protection to conduct a pilot program to evaluate the use of automated systems for immediate prescreening of individual airline passengers bound for the US before they board a plane.
13. Hayworth Amendment.  To increase employment-based visas through a reduction in non-employment-based immigration categories.
14. Goodlatte/Herseth Amendment.  To eliminate the Visa lottery program.
15. Filner Amendment.  To make technical changes to the current statute governing the distribution of fraudulent documents.