Hannity and Dobbs agree: “Democrats ... are [not] committed to securing our borders”

Dobbs: “It's no longer...debatable” that Obama is ignoring the border. From the June 21 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: The thing is, it doesn't seem to me the Democrats - in any way, shape, matter, or form - are committed to securing our borders.

DOBBS: It's no longer, I think, debatable. This president said on May 25, 1,200 national guardsmen would be on their way. They are still, almost a month later, not there. The lip service, the gamesmanship continues under this administration, and there is going to be -- there could be dire consequences beyond, simply, the lack of credibility for this administration.

In fact, the Obama administration has stepped up efforts on the border

Obama administration has increased personnel and resources available for border enforcement. As Media Matters has documented, the Obama administration has been “increasing the number of border patrol officers,” has “doubled agents assigned to the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces,” has “tripled the number of intelligence analysts along the southwest border,” and has “sent in new canine teams” to the border. Moreover, PolitiFact.com wrote that “spending on border security has increased” since 2007.

Comprehensive immigration reform outline released by Democrats emphasizes border security

Democratic plan sets border security benchmarks that “must be met before action can be taken to adjust the status” of those currently in the U.S. illegally. The “conceptual proposal for immigration reform" recently released by Senate Democrats lists eight border security benchmarks that must be met before the government will adjust the legal status of unauthorized immigrants currently in the U.S. The plan calls for “Further Fortification of America's Border Enforcement Capability” that includes “the hiring of thousands of new customs and border protection inspector.”

News outlets report that Democratic comprehensive immigration reform plans include tough border control measures. In an April 30 news analysis, The New York Times stated of the Democrats' immigration reform outline: “The enforcement would be more far-reaching than anything in place now -- or anything proposed by the administration of President George W. Bush. It begins with 'zero tolerance' for immigrants trying to enter the country illegally, by tightening border enforcement and by barring them from taking jobs in the United States.” An April 28 FoxNews.com blog post reported that the plan outlined by Senate leaders “sets tough border security standards as a precursor to illegal immigrants finding a pathway to U.S. citizenship” and “contains a number of items not previously in reform bills with a heavy focus on border enforcement as a benchmark.” A Washington Post analysis on the plan stated:

The Democrats' legislative “framework” includes a slew of new immigration enforcement measures aimed at U.S. borders and workplaces. It would further expand the 20,000-member Border Patrol; triple fines against U.S. employers that hire illegal immigrants; and, most controversially, require all American workers -- citizens and non-citizens alike -- to get new Social Security cards linked to their fingerprints to ease work eligibility checks.

The plan's emphasis on “securing the border first” before taking steps to allow many of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States to pay fines and apply for legal status was plainly a gesture to Republicans. Even so, no Republican is supporting it, not even Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who has been working with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) in bipartisan talks over the issue for months.