Posted on 09/29/2004 4:11:57 PM PDT by Bald Eagle777
Ridge: No sign of terrorists trying to cross border
Associated Press
NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) -Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Monday that he's seen no sign of terrorist efforts to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, and that the United States is not going to start militarizing it.
``We have a long tradition with our friends to the north and south. We're very fortunate that we've never had to assign military to our borders, and we're not going to start that now,'' Ridge said. ``We don't militarize our borders with friends.''
Ridge said that he had seen nothing from any intelligence sources suggesting that terrorists have tried to cross ``this border, this port of entry or any area close to it.''
Ridge, in Nogales to announce two high-tech lanes for cutting waiting times for commercial trucks at the port of the entry here, said the country has made dramatic progress at its ports of entry.
He said the country has also made significant progress between them in boosting security since the Sept. 11 attacks.
``No one is saying it's a fail-safe system,'' he said. ``No one is saying we don't have more work to do.''
But he said the country is safer, that apprehensions of illegal immigrants are up significantly along the Mexican border and that work is continuing to make the situation safer still.
``This is a safer community, but this has been building up. It didn't get done with the Bush administration,'' said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada, who's a Democrat.
Estrada said that since 1995, the Border Patrol has added resources and infrastructure, increasing the number of agents from fewer than 100 to around 500 now, and secured the border with more secure fencing.
``That has made a big difference,'' said Estrada, noting that there had been out-of-control, cross-border crime until the Border Patrol started beefing up and recognizing the problems that communities like Nogales face.
Asked about civilian groups patrolling the border, Ridge said they should leave matters to law enforcement officers who put their lives at risk every day.
Ridge also touted construction of two FAST lanes, standing for Free and Secure Trade, at the port of entry west of Nogales.
The lanes allow for advance clearance of trucks enrolled in the program carrying known low-risk shipments.
Trucking companies, trucks and drivers enrolled in the program use window decals and FAST commercial driver ID cards that are scanned by a reading device, and a Customs and Border Protection officer verifies approval provided on a computer screen.
Manufacturers or producers enrolled in the program are part of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, while truck companies must meet security standards and background checks assure the truck drivers have clearance for the program.
The first such lane was dedicated last December in El Paso, which subsequently added a second lane. Others lanes are operating in Laredo and Hidalgo, Texas.
Other FAST lanes are planned at Otay Mesa and Calexico, Calif., and Brownsville, Texas.
On the Net:
Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
They caught a woman a few weeks ago who crossed a number of times.
What makes you think you'll even know where they entered or how? All govt. has to do is file the info under 'national security' and it'll be buried for generations.
"Ridge: No sign of terrorists trying to cross border"
Yeah, and wild birds do not fly at night, ask any goose.
This is silly. There is no sign? How would he possibly know? It's clear the feds have no idea how many illegals are crossing, and they certainly don't have a clue as to who the illegals are. How can anyone seriously believe it would be difficult for islamofacsists to cross the border every night if they felt like it?
Exactly! Ridge is showing a totally pre-9/11 mentality. Instead of analyzing and dealing with the obvious vulnerabilities, he's saying, "Oh, no one's proved yet that terrorists will utilize our open borders to attack us" -- when there's a nuclear 9/11 or other terror disasters it will be more than a little late to get a clue, Mr. Ridge!!!
You need to lay off the juice...It's gettin' to ya....
This is some $cary $hit...
Ridge will move his head where he's told to move it...
Contradiction from Ridge BTTT
(((PING!)))
Did it ever occur to you that maybe the politicians are trying to put a smiley face on a manure pile & tell you that the sh*t doesn't stink & draw flies ? The folks in that part of the country know exactly what is going on as they literally see the illegals trashing the border areas on there way North. There have been elements of the MEXICAN ARMY nearly 12 miles inside the USA trying to machine gun U.S. Border patrol agents they are caught & management sends the Mexicans home with their guns like nothing happened.
Mexico acts as an enemy most of the time.
The same Tom Ridge who didn't notice that he won his election, as did Santorum, and that George Bush lost Pennsylvania thanks to absentee ballots from every urban area in the state that had only one vote on them apiece .... for President only!
This is the same Tom Ridge who couldn't find his posterior with a mirror and a flashlight with a compass in the end. It has been mentioned on this site frequently that the BP is catching Muslim OTM's every week. In addition to terminal irrelvance, this silly bastard neither reads, nor sees the obvious. George, talk to your mother. It's replacement time for this bozo as soon as the election is over.
Were we expecting Ridge to say, "Oh hell yea, the borders are a sieve ... anyone can walk across at any time and millions have already. I'm sure Al Queda is pouring across as we speak and already have 100's of sleepers pretending to be Juan the Garderer just waiting to take over your kid's school"?
Hear, hear!! They'd just replace him with someone equally as ineffectual though...(sigh)
troubling, isn't it?
Saddening and depressing would be more like it...
the la raza folks should be coming along soon :o)
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