SHERIFF SAYS BORDER PLAN WORKS [TEXAS]

QuorumReport.com/newsclips ^ | October 14, 2005 | Louie Gilot

[SwinneySwitch]

The plan to have sheriff's deputies help Border Patrol agents tighten border security has already been tested in El Paso County and it worked, El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego said Thursday. Samaniego said his department conducted an eight-week operation around Fabens and Tornillo about a year ago, paying sheriff's deputies overtime to flood the area. The result: a 40 percent drop in crime compared with the same period the year before. "The word gets back across to Mexico that there are a lot more officers on patrol, and they cease to cross," Chief Deputy Jimmy Apodaca said.

[SwinneySwitch]

Who would have thought that could ever work! (/sarcasm)

Sheriff's officials declined to give more details about the pilot operation, such as what kinds of crimes dropped and how many officers worked in the area.

Samaniego is a member of the newly formed Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, which was promised $9.7 million in grants by Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday for its plan called Operation Linebacker.

"We don't want to take the place of the Border Patrol. We want to help them. They don't have the manpower. There are a lot of gaps along the border," Samaniego said.

The sheriffs are also asking for $35 million from Congress to hire and train new deputies -- 24 in El Paso -- for Operation Linebacker. El Paso County sheriff's officials said the county would need $3.3 million to implement the plan.

[steel_resolve]

My only problem with this plan is why do they have to get overtime? Why can't it be part of their regular shift?

[Youngman442002]

combine this with the study done in Florida of how much illegal immigration costs each and every one of us..its obvious to me that spending money on more Border Patrol is sound financial advice....

[SwinneySwitch]

The 8 week test was using their regular manpower so they worked extra hours watching the border.

The Minutemen are free!

[gubamyster]

ping

[Reaganwuzthebest]

"The word gets back across to Mexico that there are a lot more officers on patrol, and they cease to cross," Chief Deputy Jimmy Apodaca said.

That's typical of the way it works when you actually enforce the law. Too bad so few in our illustrious capital are interested.

[3AngelaD]

El Paso County is a geographically large, very poor county, across the river from a major Mexican city (the county hospital also is overwhelmed. They simply don't have the resources and manpower to do this as "part of the regular shift," and still police the rest of the area, where a majority of the population is, that they are responsible for.

[John Jorsett]

Here's a real link.

[B4Ranch]

The Laws that are NOT being enforced
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii) .

8 USC Sec. 1325 (ILLEGAL ENTRY)
8 USC Sec. 1324 (Hiring an ILLEGAL)
8 USC Sec. 1644 ("No local ordinance, rule, or measure shall stop law enforcement officers from enforcement of this section")

8 USC Sec. 1325
Any alien who -

1. enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or

2. eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or

3. attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18, or imprisoned not more than two years or both.

(b) Improper time or place, civil penalties - Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of -
(1) at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or

(2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection. Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.

(c) Marriage fraud - Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000 or both.

(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud - Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.

Section 1324a states: "Any person who knowingly hires/harbors/transports any illegal alien is guilty of a felony punishable by 10 years jail + $2000 fine per illegal alien + forfeiture of the vehicle or property used to commit the crime".

Section 1324c states, "All officers whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws shall have authority to make arrests for a violation of any provision of this section" (affirmed US v Perez-Gonzalez 2002 Fed App 0360, 6th Circ.).

Section 1644, same title states, "No local ordinance, rule, or measure shall stop law enforcement officers from enforcement of this section" (affirmed Southern District Court of NY, US v Rudy Guiliani,1996).

[balrog666]

SHERIFF SAYS BORDER PLAN WORKS [TEXAS]

Well then. It must be time to cancel it by the Department of Justice's orders. 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 -

[janetgreen]

George W. Bush must be deeply saddened at this news...

[Tammy8]

I don't live there, I am on the border in NM, but LEO here all have a lot of overtime when they work the border- the reason is in a lot of places the border is very remote to the LEO facilities. Customs even has that problem here- when someone arrives for their shift, if they are sent to the actual border it can be at least an hour or more away- so one hour+ each way and if they do an 8 hour shift on the border, then drive time has to be OT. It is not unusual for some to have 4 hours OT in a day just due to driving time.
The other issue is manpower, not enough LE of any kind near the border. Politicians spend most LE money in the cities and towns, where the voters are.

[lilylangtree]

Finally, light in the middle of fog.

[mtbopfuyn]

About a YEAR ago??? Why the heck didn't he keep it up if it was working so well? Huh? Huh? If he had enough $$$ to pay over time, he had enough to hire more regular staff to continue the operation.

[mtbopfuyn]

"We don't want to take the place of the Border Patrol. We want to help them. They don't have the manpower. There are a lot of gaps along the border,"

Excuse me, but it's those gaps that are the problem. Just because one county sets up an operation and claims success doesn't mean the coyotes and illegals don't merely move down 50 miles to the next gap. There's just as many crossing over between the gaps. The only way to stop it completely (which Bush doesn't want to do) is to build a wall and man it the entire distance.

[mtbopfuyn]

El Paso County is a geographically large, very poor county,

And why is it very poor? Gee, it couldn't be because of all the illegals milking the system dry could it?

[coladirienzi]

We don't have to reinvent the wheel here. How many Israeli's have been blown to smithereens since they started putting their wall up?

Two ten foot high chain link fences ten feet apart, the interior filled with concertina wire, and numerous sensors and cameras surrounded the naval base in Rota, Spain, where my son was stationed. Back that with a twenty-foot concrete wall ala the Israelis, and an active mine field, and your immigration problem goes away real quickly.

Won't happen, though, because the elites of both parties are totally committed to seeing middle-class America reduced to third-world peon status.

[janetgreen]

the elites of both parties are totally committed to seeing middle-class America reduced to third-world peon status.

BTTT

[3AngelaD]

Yes, that would be it: the hundreds of thousands of illegals in El Paso County and surrounds, and NAFTA, which moved all of their blue jeans manufacturing jobs south.