Senate clears border security bill

The Senate approved legislation yesterday that would authorize hundreds of miles of additional fencing and vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The bill, which was introduced Tuesday by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as an amendment to the underlying immigration-reform measure, would allow for a minimum of 370 miles of fencing through parts of California and Arizona, as well as 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the southwest border.

The Senate vote was 83-16, with all Senate Republicans and 28 Democrats voting in favor of the amendment.

Democrats who rejected it included Sens. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), and Barack Obama (Ill.).