Politics Affects Immigration Bill

By Juan Williams,

Madeleine Brand

Published May 18, 2007 at 1:00 PM EDT

The deal that was struck between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators marks an unusual moment of bipartisanship.

President Bush is eager to make deals because of his desire to leave a legacy and move beyond Iraq. Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez have been involved in negotiations with U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).

There are segments of the bill that require the construction of 200 miles of mobile barriers and 370 miles of fencing along the border, the construction of more jails to hold illegal immigrants and the installation of radar equipment.

Tags

NPR National News NPR News

Juan Williams

Juan Williams, one of America's leading journalists, is a news analyst, appearing regularly on NPR's Morning Edition. Knowledgeable and charismatic, Williams brings insight and depth — hallmarks of NPR programs — to a wide spectrum of issues and ideas.

Madeleine Brand

Madeleine Brand is the host of NPRs newest and fastest-growing daily show, Day to Day. She conducts interviews with newsmakers (Iraqi politicians, US senators), entertainment figures (Bernardo Bertolluci, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Gervais), and the everyday people affected by the news (an autoworker laid off at GM, a mother whose son was killed in Iraq).

National & International News

The state of Arab Spring countries following Assad's fall in Syria

Michael Levitt

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Steven Heydemann, Middle East Studies director at Smith College, about how Syria might avoid replicating Arab countries that are worse off after overthrowing dictators.
Mystery drones flying over New Jersey have residents and officials puzzled

Jason Breslow

The drones have been seen above critical infrastructure like reservoirs, rail stations and military bases. The governor says there is "no known threat," but the FBI is still investigating.
Police say gun found with suspect matches casings at UnitedHealthcare CEO crime scene

Alana Wise

The New York police commissioner also said investigators matched Luigi Mangione's fingerprints with those found on items near the scene where the UnitedHealthcare CEO was fatally shot last week.