By AVERY FELLOW
WASHINGTON (CN) – The Senate passed a $600 million border security bill Thursday, sending it to President Obama’s desk for signature.
The bill passed by unanimous consent with only two senators present: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Ben Cardin, D-Md. The Senate adjourned for August recess last Friday and held a special session Thursday to resolve a procedural hiccup with the bill.
The House passed the bill when it returned from its August recess on Tuesday.
The bill appropriates $500 million to hire 1,500 new border patrol agents, provide unmanned aerial drones, which feed data on illegal border crossings to field agents, and buy new communications equipment to streamline contact between federal agents and state and local officials along the border.
The measure is intended to beef up resources to break up gun, drug and human smuggling and trafficking rings and well as combat money launderers and other organized criminals.
The bill would “finally provide President Obama and Secretary Napolitano with the ‘boots on the ground’ and the resources necessary to combat crime and violence that currently exists on our southern border,” Schumer said.
It also establishes bases along the southwest U.S. border to enable border officials to more easily detain people who are apprehended along the border.
The bill passed by unanimous consent with only two senators present: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Ben Cardin, D-Md. The Senate adjourned for August recess last Friday and held a special session Thursday to resolve a procedural hiccup with the bill.
The House passed the bill when it returned from its August recess on Tuesday.
The bill appropriates $500 million to hire 1,500 new border patrol agents, provide unmanned aerial drones, which feed data on illegal border crossings to field agents, and buy new communications equipment to streamline contact between federal agents and state and local officials along the border.
The measure is intended to beef up resources to break up gun, drug and human smuggling and trafficking rings and well as combat money launderers and other organized criminals.
The bill would “finally provide President Obama and Secretary Napolitano with the ‘boots on the ground’ and the resources necessary to combat crime and violence that currently exists on our southern border,” Schumer said.
It also establishes bases along the southwest U.S. border to enable border officials to more easily detain people who are apprehended along the border.