House approves 3 bills on immigration

Nicole Gaouette
Los Angeles Times
Sept. 22, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - The House on Thursday approved three new bills targeting illegal immigration, including one that would make it a crime to tunnel underneath U.S. borders and another making it easier to deport gang members who are not citizens.

The action followed House approval of a proposed 700-mile fence along the border with Mexico - legislation the Senate is now debating - and passage of a bill meant to prevent illegal immigrants from voting.

One of the new measures would authorize the indefinite detention of some illegal immigrants. The bill would allow the Department of Homeland Security to quickly deport non-citizens if it believes they are gang members.

A second bill would speed the ability of immigration officers to deport people and limit their access to appeal. It would strip people from El Salvador of a special immigration status that has protected many of them from deportation. And it would affirm the right of state and local law enforcement to help enforce federal immigration laws.

The third bill would impose a 20-year prison sentence on anyone who digs a tunnel under a U.S. border.