GWB and DHS got $1.2 billion for a border fence, of which less than 1/2 of 1 percent has been built. Just last week, Chertoff gave this explanation for the delay: "Call you Congressman." (Of course Congress has nothing to do with it, they'd already disbursed the funds to DHS).
In the interim (and before the 2006 election) GWB authorized 6,000 National Guardsmen to the border in rolling deployments of 3 weeks. According to recent reports, their presence has been dwindling due to deployements of those Guardsmen to Iraq.
In 2005 GWB requested and was provided funds to hire 2,000 new Border Patrol officers for 2006. In his 2006 budget, GWB's budget showed that 216 BP officers would be hired, not the 2,000 approved by Congress.
Do you have a source for that quote? Seem like grounds to be called before congress for an explanation of his pass-the-buck, blow you off attitude.
In the meantime, Maybe we should flood DHS with FOIRs relating to every conversation on the border fence timetable. Anyone got a handle on the most expeditious way to file?
—GWB and DHS got $1.2 billion for a border fence,
—GWB authorized 6,000 National Guardsmen to the border in rolling deployments of 3 weeks
—In his 2006 budget, GWB’s budget showed that 216 BP officers would be hired, not the 2,000
U.S. Border Patrol Director David Aguilar said last Wednesday, “The United States will have “operational control” of its border with Mexico by 2013.”
Another thing is, what good does it do to hire more border agents when they might end up like Ramos for just doing their job? You could hire 200,000 more agents and it won't do any good if they are afraid of arrest by their own government.