SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- President Bush signed a bill in Arizona Thursday that provides $1.2 billion for fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border to curb illegal immigration.
The $35 billion homeland security bill also includes an overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The overhaul will "help our government better respond to emergencies and natural disasters by strengthening the capabilities" of FEMA, Bush said.
The bill will also "deploy nuclear detection equipment at our ports of entry, raise security standards at the nation's chemical plants, safeguard American cities against weapons of mass destruction and stop terrorists seeking to enter our country," the president said.
Standing before Camelback Mountain in Arizona, a state with much debate over border security, he also said the legislation would "give us better tools to enforce our immigration laws and to secure our southern border."
Outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox has called the barricade "shameful," comparing it to the Berlin Wall and saying it would hurt U.S.-Mexican relations.
