Posted on 04/12/2005 11:31:02 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Border Patrol worries immigrants will begin crossing in Valley area
AUSTIN, April 12, 2005 — Civilian patrols of the international border in Arizona could compromise border security in the Rio Grande Valley, a Border Patrol union president said Monday.
He made the remarks to a delegation of Texas Democratic members of Congress who were at the Texas Capitol to demonstrate what they said would be devastating effects of President Bush’s proposed federal budget on Texans.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said border officials brought the problem to his attention during his visit over the weekend to Roma, Rio Grande City, McAllen and Pharr. Doggett’s district includes Austin and McAllen.
“There is real concern that because of the shortage that we created that some of the people that we need to protect our borders here are actually being shifted to the most recent hot spot,” Doggett said.
T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, agreed the problem is real.
In late March, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would add 500 Border Patrol agents along the 370-mile Arizona-Mexico border, Bonner said.
“It neglected to mention that most of those agents and resources would be taken from Texas, New Mexico and California, leaving the other 1,630 miles of border even less protected than they are currently,” Bonner said.
In Arizona, a group of property owners calling themselves “Minute Men” are conducting regular patrols of the Arizona-Mexico border this month in an effort to call attention to what they said is inadequate protection by the U.S. government against undocumented workers.
Of the 500 additional agents bound for Arizona, 155 will come from other parts of Border Patrol who volunteer for the duty. It is likely some of those will come from the McAllen Sector, Bonner said after he testified.
Another 210 will likely come from the new agents the budget allows for hiring, he said.
The rest will come from attrition, which means as agents retire or quit in the McAllen Sector, for example, new agents will be sent to Arizona, not McAllen, to replace them, he said.
“Right now we’re not able to keep up with the agents that we have, so obviously we’re going to be expected to do more with less,” Bonner said.
In 2004, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which authorized hiring 10,000 additional Border Patrol agents and 4,000 additional criminal investigators over the next five years, and building an additional 40,000 detention beds.
But the proposed federal budget would add 210 Border Patrol agents, 140 criminal investigators and 1,920 bed spaces, Bonner said.
State Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen and state Rep. Juan M. Escobar, D-Kingsville, were among the state Legislators, all Democrats, who attended the hearing.
The Congressional delegation wanted to show Legislators and Texans how the federal budget would affect them. They called witnesses to discuss how the cuts would hurt their public hospitals, small businesses, college education and ability to protect the border.
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Texas, whose district includes Brownsville and Corpus Christi, said he is particularly concerned about the security in light of the high numbers of Central American gangs and other organized criminals thought to be passing through the Texas-Mexico border.
People from countries other than Mexico detained after crossing are often released for lack of detention space, creating the possibility that a terrorist could roam the United States unchecked, he said.
“I am concerned with the criminal element that is coming across,” Ortiz said.
epierson@link.freedom.com
Dumbocrats!
Federal Govt is robbing Peter to pay Paul as usual.
Those 500 extra agents sent to Arizona was all for show.
you beat me to it
Southern Border Ping!
Please let me know if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
What is amazing is that eveyone knows there is a major problem. What takes the cake is that nobody in a position of power is doing anything about it.
I will say it again. The MMP is a success and the spineless idiots know it!
"Billions for Homeland Security, not one penny for a border fence!"
Makes it kind of hard to believe our "leaders" really want to stop the immivasion.
U.S. Constitution Article 4 Section 4:
"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,
"The MMP is a success and the spineless idiots know it!"
They know it, they are just terrified of the media branding them racist and losing the hispanic vote.
Here is their problem!
Yeah, they are dumbocrats but it looks like they are paying attention. They could really hurt the Republican party if they moved right on this issue.
Frankly, I would love to see Republicans and Democrats get into a pissing match over who could be toughest on illegals. That would be great!
If Bush is still in office the dims will blame him, rightfully, for doing nothing to stop it. If a dim is president then the republicans will blame him, rightfully, for doing nothing to stop it. Regardless, neither side will take any responsiblity for this because securing the almighty hispanic vote is more important.
Of course, most of the terrorists we have apprehended came through the Canadian border (the Y2k plots to blow up the Space Needle,etc). Ain't it time for Minutemen on the Northern border?
When the Canadian government publishes a manual for how to successfully cross the border illegally, and when Canadians citizens commit violent crimes at disproportionate rates, I will share your sentiment.
It's like squeezing a balloon--put pressure on to restrict it in one place and the balloon will expand in another location.
The term "fistful of Jello" comes to mind...
Minutemen BUMP!
Of course.
Truth is very precious, this why salesmen and politicians say they use it very sparingly.
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