Getting Tough at the Border

By Massimo Calabresi

President Bush's plan to bolster security on the U.S.-Mexican border has the aura of a renewed White House about it. The possible use of military resources--including deployment of National Guard troops and aerial drones to patrol the frontier--emerged as Bush aides brainstormed about how to spend border-security funds recently approved by the Senate. Some Governors questioned adding another burden to forces already strained by deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, but the idea delighted conservatives, who see it as the kind of strong move needed to secure the porous border.

Tightening border security may score political points, but will it slow illegal immigration? A 2004 government report estimated that more than half of illegal immigrants come to the U.S. legally, then overstay their visas. Experts say the U.S. will remain a magnet as long as businesses are willing to hire such migrants. "The military can play a support role at the border," says Mark Krikorian of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies. "But there's no substitute for interior enforcement."

Senate negotiators, eager to rejuvenate the immigration-reform proposal that stalled before their Easter break, agreed last week on a bill that would create guest-worker programs--Bush aides say the President will veto any reform that lacks such initiatives--and introduce steps to crack down on illegal hiring that could affect all Americans. The bill, to be debated this week, authorizes 1,000 new customs officials to focus on investigating forged documentation and toughens rules on what identification must be presented to potential employers. U.S. citizens would have to show a passport or a controversial new-format driver's license featuring a digital photo and containing electronic data; noncitizens, a green card or special work permit. Businesses that knowingly hire illegal workers would face fines of up to $20,000; repeat offenders could get jail time.

It's too soon to tell whether those measures will deter the hiring of illegals--penalties added during a 1986 reform are rarely enforced. But in this election year, that may not be what matters most. Tough talk from Congress or the President may be enough to send a key message: We're working on it.

With reporting by Mike Allen, SALLY B. DONNELLY