700 Miles of New Fence OKd for Mexico Border
Capping a year of rancorous debate over illegal immigration and border security, President Bush signed a bill Thursday authorizing 700 miles of new double-layer steel fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border -- a move Republicans hope will give them a pre-election boost. In a signing ceremony at the White House, Bush heralded the bill as a first step in reforming the nation's malfunctioning immigration system, which has allowed an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants to settle in the United States. By TYCHE HENDRICKS for the San Francisco Chronicle.