Press Releases

Washington, NC January 04, 2008 - By DAN PARSONS
STAFF WRITER
Washington Daily News

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones became the first member of Congress to sign a pledge to fund construction of a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.

In signing the pledge this week, Jones, who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, vows “to vote for, fully fund, and speedily expedite the construction of a secure double fence across the entire U.S.-Mexico border within six months after the convening of the next Congress.”

Founded in 2007, Fence By Date Certain is a non-partisan, non-profit group dedicated to persuade the federal government to build a secure fence the length of the U.S.-Mexico border. Jones said Thursday he supports securing the nation’s borders as a “key part of the war on terror.”

“We’re at war with terrorism and we’ve got to secure our own borders. Building the fence is not the only thing that has to be done to increase our security, but it’s a good start,” Jones told the Daily News. “We, as a Congress, have passed legislation that said this nation should build a fence and it hasn’t been built yet. I expect this pledge to be signed by a number of members of Congress ... of both parties.”

Jones said the goal of having the fence fully funded within six months is a realistic benchmark because “the American people and the people of the 3rd District have already spoken and they want this security.”

While Jones is addressing the illegal immigration issue on Capitol Hill, Beaufort County Commissioners have taken steps to target illegal immigrants at the local level.

At a special meeting scheduled for Jan. 17, commissioners will meet with Michael Hethmon, general counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute. They are to discuss what authority they have to prevent illegals from becoming a drag on the local economy. The board has already weighed denying health department services to clients that cannot prove U.S. citizenship.

“I support his position 100 percent,” Commissioner Hood Richardson said Thursday off Jones’ pledge. “It’s high time someone did something about this.”

Jones is scheduled to speak to Beaufort County Republicans at a meeting at Hog Heaven restaurant Thursday. Richardson said he and fellow republicans expect Jones to support their local efforts to combat illegal immigration.

“It’s certainly an issue we will push him on and it sounds like we’ll have his support since he’s signed on to this,” Richardson said. “I think we are all in agreement that we need to secure the borders of the United States.”

Jones said city, town and state governments across the nation are beginning to take on the issue of illegal immigration because “they have lost confidence in Congress to do anything.”

“I definitely will support local officials that feel they need to do something about this issue at the local level,” Jones said. “It’s a huge issue. How can we be over in Iraq securing the Iraqi borders when we can’t secure our own?”

Last year U.S. Customs and Border Protection exceeded a goal of having at least 145 miles of federally policed fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Web site. That will add to the nearly 300 miles of pedestrian and vehicular fencing already in place and is the first step to building 670 more miles of fence, according to the Web site.

James P. Pinkerton, acting chairman of Fence By Date Certain, received Jones’ pledge and lauded his decision to join the effort to build the border fence.

“Walter Jones is a courageous man,” he said. “As a longstanding opponent of any form of amnesty, and of any and all attempts to diminish America’s hard-won sovereignty, the Congressman continues to demonstrate that there is nothing ‘virtual’ about his rock-solid commitment to safeguarding America.”