Obama to Sign $600M Border Security Bill

Indian firms complain about footing the bill for beefed-up border security
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 13, 2010 12:35 AM CDT
Obama to Sign $600M Border Security Bill
A US Border Patrol vehicle drives along the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Yuma, Arizona.   (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

The Senate reconvened yesterday to pass a $600 million bill aimed at bolstering border security. The bill, which President Obama will sign into law Friday, will fund the hiring of 1,000 extra Border Patrol officers and 500 immigration and customs agents and pay for more unmanned drones to patrol the border with Mexico, the AP reports.

The bill—passed by unanimous consent in a special session which required only two senators to be present—will provide the government "with the boots on the ground and the resources necessary to combat the crime and violence," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the bill's sponsor. The bill will be funded by raising fees for companies that import large numbers of workers to the US, a move India complains is discriminating against its companies and citizens.
(More President Obama stories.)

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