Las Vegas, NV – Senator John Ensign applauded enactment of the Secure Fence Act which authorizes construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along the southern border. The legislation was signed into law by President Bush today. Ensign saw first hand the need for secure fences in urban areas during a tour earlier this year along the United States-Mexico border.

“It is critical to the security of our nation and our citizens that we secure our borders,” Ensign said. “Building fences in urban areas will greatly assist the efforts of our border patrol agents in preventing illegal entrance into our country and protecting our communities.”

Senator Ensign is responsible for two important pieces of legislation that have been enacted into law. He led the effort to double the number of trained border patrol agents, and, following his briefing on the border, he introduced legislation to send the National Guard to the border to provide support to the border patrol.

“Proving to the American people that we can secure our borders is also a step toward comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that the Secure Fence Act is an important tool in making sure that we know who is entering our country,” said Ensign.