O'Reilly Makes False Claims About Kennedy-McCain Immigration Bill

On the April 10th edition of the O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that the Kennedy-McCain immigration bill only increases the size of the the border control. O'Reilly said, "They add 2,500 border patrol a year and that's it." Actually, from a factsheet provided by Kennedy, the law would:

• Double interior enforcement by adding "1,000 investigators per year for next 5 years"

• Create a "[n]ew [s]ecurity [p]erimeter" by "add[ing] new technology at the border to create [a] 'virtual fence' "

• "Tighten[] [c]ontrols" by "expand[ing] exit-entry security system at all land borders and airports"

• Call for the "[c]onstruction of [b]arriers" by "mandat[ing] new roads and vehicle barriers at borders"

• Call for the "[c]onstruction of [f]ences" by "provid[ing] additional border fences at specific vulnerable sectors"

• "[A]uthorize new permanent highway checkpoints near border"

• Demand a "[c]omprehensive [s]urveillance [p]lan" that would "mandate[] new land and water surveillance plan[s]"

• "Create[] new crime for construction, financing, and use of unlawful tunnels."

That is much more than increasing the border patrol by 2,500. What were you thinking, Bill? Don't you read up on things before you lie about them?

O'REILLY: Now, what's happening in the debate is deplorable. Number one, if you want to secure the border and hold illegal aliens accountable for breaking immigration law, you're inhumane. You're inhumane. Americans seeking strict enforcement of immigration laws are bad people, and even worse, conservatives. But the open border crowd is humane and holistic. Just read The New York Times and other left-wing outlets.

Well, "Talking Points" is fed up with the bull. So, here's the truth. The Kennedy-McCain bill would not secure the border or stop rampant illegal entry. The bill provides for more border patrol agents, but little else on the security side. The [Senate Majority Leader Bill] Frist [R-TN] bill's a bit tougher, but not much. So, at this point, the Senate simply doesn't want to secure the border, period.

[...]

LINDA CHAVEZ: Michelle [Malkin], my point is that this is like a three-legged stool. You can't fix one leg. The stool will not stand. There really are three issues. One is border security. It certainly is the top of the list. The second is what to do about the 12 million people who are here. And the third is what to do about our own needs as a country for new faces, new workers. We have --

O'REILLY: OK. But, Linda --

CHAVEZ: -- a need for those workers.

O'REILLY: -- the Senate bill does not address border security in any meaningful way, neither the McCain-Kennedy nor the Frist versions. They add 2,500 border patrol a year and that's it.

CHAVEZ: Well -- absolutely --

O'REILLY: That's not going to cut it when you have hundreds of thousands of people coming across.

Transcripts from: http://mediamatters.org/items/200604120001
You can find the factsheet at: http://kennedy.senate.gov/%7Ekennedy/statements/06/04/2006404556.html

Email Bill, oreilly@foxnews.com, and call him on the carpet.