In 2006, former Vice President Joe Biden told a South Carolina rotary club audience that he proudly voted for the Secure Fence Act - authorizing the construction of 700 miles of fencing at the southern US border. He also called for a crackdown on companies which hire "illegals," saying: "I voted for a fence, I voted, unlike most Democrats — and some of you won't like it— I voted for 700 miles of fence," adding "But, let me tell you, we can build a fence 40 stories high, unless you change the dynamic in Mexico and — and you will not like this, and —punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals. Unless you do those two things, all the rest is window dressing."