Posted on 09/27/2004 11:40:43 PM PDT by Robert Lomax
The U.S. has no plans to deploy troops along the Mexican border to stanch the deluge of illegal aliens currently pouring into the country at the rate of 3 million per year, President Bush said in an interview broadcast on Monday.
"As the governor of Texas, I was very aware of this issue," Bush told Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly.
Story Continues Below
"There is a long border, that makes it hard to control. We have beefed up places along the border to try to stop" the flow, he said. When told that his policy didn't seem to be working, Bush insisted, "It’s working a little better.
"They're doing a pretty good job down in Arizona, which is the main border crossing. ... I think there's a thousand more border patrol agents along the border. We’re modernizing border techniques, we’re using better surveillance methods to stop this crossing at the border."
The president contended, however, that illegal immigration was driven primarily by the economic realities of the region.
"If you can make 50 cents in the interior of Mexico and five bucks in the interior of the United States, you're coming for the five bucks," he explained.
"I happen to believe the best way to enhance the border is to have temporary-worker cards available for people," he said. "I think the long-term solution for this issue on our border is for Mexico to grow a middle class. That's why I believe in NAFTA."
When warned that "a lot of people are not going to like that answer," Bush told O'Reilly, "Well it’s a, a truthful answer."
MI, your professional expert guesstimate would be appreciated to post 160. TIA
The problem with the way they estimate border crossers is that they have a doctrinal assumption that they only catch 10% of the crossers. So if something happens that causes them to catch twice as many they assume that means twice as many people tried to cross. The entire illegal alien guesstimation system is built around this presumption that the effectiveness of the border never changes. There's a similar built in assumption when they start talking about the amount of drugs that come over the border. It's a great way to get increased federal funds because no matter how well they do their stats will always say they're no where near controlling the problem.
I sincerely doubt that 25,000 Islamic terrorists have illegally invaded America. I don't think 25,000 raving fanatical lunatics could sit still in a strange land surrounded by millions of "evil" people that they hate with a passion for very long without blowing something or someone up.
What about 1,000?
The U.S.-Mexico land border is about 1500 miles long. The total perimeter of the contiguous 48 U.S. is about 18,500 miles.
But, you know, Draconian tactics are just fine as far as the Riders Of The Illegal Immigration Hobbyhorse are concerned. They have no problem with demanding that a person be machine-gunned for trying to find good-paying work, albeit in an illegal manner.
LOL! You're killin me...
In other news: Expanding the WOD won't stop people from dealing drugs
If they only catch 10% and they caught roughly a million crossers last year, does that means 10,000,000 are actually crossing? And 9,000,000 per year are not apprehended? I don't think so.
I don't think 1,000 could sit still for very long either. These people live to blow themselves up.
Exactly, but that's their assumption. They judge how many are crossing based entirely on the idea that everybody that catch represents 9 they didn't. 1000 new agents on the southern border and a fair bit of good new technology doesn't enter into the equation at all, if they catch more that means they also failed to catch more.
How long were the sleepers that attacked the WTC (2 times now) here in America illegally before they actually killed us?
I have no problem with a burglar or intruder being killed in the course of his crime. And that is what these people are: burglars and intruders, period. If you come in the front door and abide by the rules of the house, welcome and stay awhile. If you try to sneak in and die, too bad, so sad. If you survive, a nice coat of tar and feathers can warm you as you are marched back over the border.
I believe that's Mexico's goal. They don't have to subsidize infrastructure to provide jobs, yet they reap the benefits because "dual citizens" are still taxed at the same rates - Mexican governments are in a win-win position.
As long as illegals send dollars "home", unscathed by reimbursements for their use of US services, there never will be any incentive for local Mexican governments to seek better for their citizens.
These people didnt come here with a grand piano on their back or a trans am in their nap sack when they snuck in... They got them while residing, illegally, in our country.
They should be booted out with whatever they can stuff under their own arms. Im done with these illegals.
10,000,000 illegals are coming in every year? No way.
I'm predicting a major donny brook regarding immigration for October. Kerry will hold his nose and announce major immigration initiatives that will catch Bush flatfooted. He'll announce that Bush has failed the war on terror by refusing to secure our borders(despite not describing what he...Kerry...would do about them himself). It will be good for a 5 to 7 point swing away from Bush!
Oh. So Bush's logic is that militarizing the border won't stop 100% of the illegal border-crossers...so, since we can't nab 100% of them, we aren't even going to TRY.
Thanks, George.
10,000,000? I'd laugh at that - but 3,000,000 is possible.
I doubt it. I'd say 2 or 3 million individual people. Now on border towns you get a lot that come across just or the day and sneak back the other way (or deliberately get caught and driven back, along with a free burger). Now if you count those as individual crossing instead of people you could get a number in the tens of millions pretty easy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.