"Another example of our hard earned tax dollars at work."
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Perhaps not enough money is going to the right places . .
U.S. Border Patrol agents say they are the victims of escalating violence.
The problem is getting so bad, the Border Patrol says numbers of assaults against them are up almost 50% from where they were last year.
Agents in the Tucson sector are patrolling a total of 261 miles of border, but some are doing it from the confines of a cage.
The vehicles are called 'war wagons', literally designed to protect against rocks and boulders thrown by illegal smugglers.
But the metal caging won't protect agents from a problem that's gaining even more momentum.
"When our agents try to do a vehicle stop, criminal element try to run over our agent to evade arrest," says agent Jose Garza, from the Tucson sector.
So far this fiscal year, the Tucson sector of the Border Patrol has reported 163 acts of assault against agents, compared to a total of 118 for the entire fiscal year of 2004.
National reports say vehicle rammings are up 188%, shootings are up 122% and cases of rock throwing are up 23%.
Garza says, "They're getting frustrated because we're out there. We're encountering them more times."
Agent Garza says he knows, with more manpower and resources, will come more encounters with criminal activity.
There are no reports at this time of deaths or serious injuries to agents. Garza says those on patrol are constantly being trained about the dangers along the international line.