This is by no means a defense of the Gang of Ocho’s immigration bill which I am firmly against.
Via Conservative Intel Briefing:
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., went on Laura Ingraham’s show today to discuss his 844-page immigration bill, only to be hit by questions about “Marco phones.”
The Florida blog Shark Tank, run by Javier Manjarres, ran first with this odd story, which illustrates the problem of non-lawyers attempting to read and interpret legislation without the help of experts:
According to the newly filed bill, immigrants who are allowed to enter the United States under a work visa, will be ‘granted’ a taxpayer funded cellular phone. Move over “Obama phone,” we present the new ‘Hola, Como Estas?!’ MarcoPhone.
Manjarres was referring to Section 1107, which contains this passage:
ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS.—An individual is eligible to receive a grant under this subsection if the individual demonstrates that he or she— (A) regularly resides or works in the Southwest Border region; is at greater risk of border violence due to the lack of cellular service at his or her residence or business and his or her proximity to the Southern border. (3) USE OF GRANTS.—Grants awarded under this subsection may be used to purchase satellite telephone communications systems and service that— (A) can provide access to 9–1–1 service; and (B) are equipped with global positioning
Breitbart.com picked up the story as well.
But it’s not true.
The provision in question, Rubio explained later in the day in an interview with Laura Ingraham, is designed so that ranchers and farmers along rural areas of the border (say, in Arizona) can report illegal crossings and violence, which are a big problem there. Many of the areas are very remote and lack cell phone coverage. A rancher in his pickup who noticed, say, 50 heavily armed cartel goons running across his land would probably have no way to phone it in to authorities. Hence the grants for purchasing satellite phones — which are not cheap.
Based on a quick search of the legislative database, Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) appear to have first proposed the language in May 2010, when Rubio was still just a primary candidate for U.S. Senate. Their bill, S. 3332 (“Border Security Enforcement Act of 2010″), contained no immigration provisions at all — just border security measures, including the phones, grants to towns along the border and deployment of 3,000 additional National Guardsmen at the border.
In order to please immigration hawks, the old border security bill was folded into the comprehensive immigration bill this year, so that senators could show they were doing something to crack down on illegal border crossings.
HT: The Blaze