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/
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Display as Article | Press Release
Press Release
Lampson Supports SECURE Border Act to Shut the
Door on Al Qaeda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, September 23, 2004
PRESS CONTACT:
Suzanne Jordan, (202) 225-6565
WASHINGTON, DCCongressman Nick Lampson (D-TX) today joined Homeland Security
Committee Ranking Member Jim Turner (D-TX), House Border Caucus Chairman Silvestre Reyes
(D-TX), Houston Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) and other Texas delegation members to introduce the
SECURE Border Act. Lampson is a co-sponsor of the bill, which takes the strongest action in
history to secure the southern border.
The US-Mexico Border is a virtual open door for terrorists, Lampson said. Al Qaeda knows
our vulnerability.
Lampson gave troubling examples of Al Qaedas interest in the southern border, referring to a
border-wide alert for a cell leader trying to cross illegally and Central American reports that Al
Qaeda has contacted smuggling gangs to carry terrorists across.
The SECURE Border Act would double the number of Customs/Immigration and Border Patrol
officers along the border; screen all cargo crossing into Texas for nuclear material; and deploy
technology to monitor every mile of the border 24/7.
We will work to keep Americas door open to our friends, but shut the door on our enemies,
Lampson said. This is our most sacred duty to preserve and protect the people of the United
States.
Congressman Nick Lampson (D-TX) is the fourth-term representative of the Ninth District of Texas,
which includes Southeast Texas Golden Traingle, Galveston Island and Johnson Space Center. He is a
member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
###
ONLINE VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT AVAILABLE:
http://lampson.house.gov/documents/index.asp?ID=131
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BTTT
Absolutely correct. You have it right. As the father of a Border Patrol Agent I know that everything you say is right on. A couple of good websites that tell it like it is are www.americanborderpatrol.com and www.ranchrescue.com
(the first site is NOT a govt. site).
I agree. I feel much better now...
When you're experiencing recto-cranial inversion, it's hard to see what's going on around.
Ridge is flat out lying and I hope he gets caught in it.
Now I am sorry that I didn't bookmark it, but I read here that at least a dozen middle eastern people had been caught trying to come across the border without correct documents. Sorry, I find this more credible than "I don't know of any problem."
The more I read this stuff the less inclined I am to vote.
Unfortunately, we can't risk the Rats exerting any more control over us so we have to vote for the idiot congressmen in the GOP.
To expand a bit, Walt Kolbe found this amongst a couple of dozen backpacks that had been abandoned overnight on his property in Hereford. He lives along the western edge of a series of trails the local Border Patrol openly calls OTM Alley.
I shake down the load-out sites constantly and find beaucoup airline ticket stubs among the abandoned trash. The tickets I find in OTM Alley almost always have the name portion of the ticket torn off. Along the other trails the tickets are usually intact, with names, and I only find Spanish names.
You owe me a new keyboard! My nose hurts from the mountain dew :-)
I'd have to agree though. Tom is living in a fantasy world if he thinks there is any such thing as border security today. He also is pretty whacked for thinking that mexico is a friend or ally.
You are so on target with this comment that I'm almost speechless. Ridge's comment is completely divorced from any semblance of reality. Unfortunately, it's the party line, and Bush won't do a thing about it for fear of pissing off hispanic voters.
LoL Er uh sorry bout that.. send me your address I have a few extra keyboards. ;-)
Clueless pissant. The border is already militarized -- by the Mexicans.
I've had my own fun experiences with this detachment. They have been caught on numerous occasions on the wrong side of the fence.
Bingo. I spend a lot of time manning those posts and all it makes me think is that the Feds have no idea whatsoever as to who is here in this country. We are not controlling entry, so local law enforcement is left to conduct point defense for every target in the USA.
Its the biggest failing of this presidency and will eventually cost American lives, IMHO.
I saved an awesome cartoon showing a granny getting a body search at an airport, while a Mexican (or middle eastern man) is slipping over the border just behind them.
If anyone wants to see it, I don't have it on a host, but I'll email it to somebody who can post it. It's the best homeland security/open borders cartoon I've ever seen.
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