I heard the replay of O'Reilly on FOX News a little while ago and the last thing Bush said on the issue is (paraphrasing) we need to beef up the border and we need to give the border patrol the resources they need to do the job.
Putting the military on our borders seems hypocritical when we're trying to discourage that sort of activity elsewhere in the world. Letting the BP do their job and revamping the system would do wonders as opposed to our borders looking like Checkpoint Charlie.
Jim, that's what Bush has been saying since he took office. Since he took office the flow has increased from roughly 1 million per year to 3.5 million per year. O'Reilly used that figure with Bush, and Bush agreed to it.
Jim, that's 35 million people in ten years. That is unacceptable to me.
When an INS crew of a dozen or so spent several days in the inland several months ago, it arrest 450 people for deportation. Asa Hutchinson send a directive to the local INS office, demanding they cease and desist.
I have listened to Asa defend this action several times. It was perhaps one of the most insulting interviews I have ever witnessed, supposedly from my side of the isle. He was dismisive, lied, spun and just made a complete fool of himself. The radio hosts called him on around three to five absolute falsehoods, that I was aware of before they did so.
David Drier has defended Hutchinson's actions. Both say that inland border apprehensions continue, but insiders say that they have been directed to patrol empty ravines, places known not to be used by illegals. The spins just keeps on coming.
Dana Roerbacher rejected the idea that the federal government should foot the bill for California's illegal immigrant outlays.
Jim, I have been an ardent supporter of Hutchinson and Roerbacher in the past, and had a generally favorable opinion of Drier before this. It would be hard to imagine what could make me more disgusted with these three. Bush's comments tonight on the subject were an embarassment.
This simply cannot continue the way it is going.
He's had four years to do this. If he hasn't done it by now (especially after Sept 11), he never will. I only see him doing something if we have another attack inside our borders. It's a crying shame Americans would have to die before something is done.
Jim,
The border is only one of a multitude of problems. There aren't enought goberment attorneys to successfully get the illegals out of here. I believe the Immigrations Judges need to be highly scrutinized. Their decisions should be in the public domain. Does the general public really know what kind of people the judges are allowing to remain here?