Cracks in the Crack-Down

The American Spectator ^ | 5/19/2006 12:07:45 AM | Paul Chesser

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It's no use. Give it up. No matter how much the federal government tries to install security on America's (southwestern) border, it's a waste of time, money, and resources.

At least that's what The Washington Post would have us believe after its report from Yuma, Arizona yesterday. Reporter John Pomfret based his story largely upon the experiences of harried Border Patrol agent Chris Van Wagenen, who chases elusive would-be illegals that defiantly taunt from the Mexico side, "I'll be back."

Van Wagenen's response? "Of that, I'm sure. If it's a fence, a sensor, a camera, they'll find a way to defeat it."

The Post paints a hopeless picture, saying "the signs of the unintended consequences of a decade's worth of efforts to crack down on illegal crossings of the 2,000-mile border are clear." The evidence of the failures:

- "Apprehensions of illegal immigrants are about the same as a decade ago."

- "Mexicans and others continue to pour into the United States though it is now far more expensive and far more dangerous for them than ever."

- "Once here, they are staying, turning border communities such as Yuma into boomtowns fueled by their cheap labor."

The New York Times also noted yesterday how fruitless the anti-immigration efforts have been:

It is a humbling acknowledgment that despite more than a decade of initiatives with macho-sounding names, like Operation Hold the Line in El Paso or Operation Gate Keeper in San Diego, the federal government has repeatedly failed on its own to gain control of the land borders.

According to the Post, this futile "crack-down" began with the Clinton administration in 1993, when the Border Patrol focused on blockades at those popular urban crossings.

[SE Mom]

If the government REALLY wanted any of these attempts to secure the border to be effective- they would have been.

[ClaireSolt]

In addistion to the fence around CA, fencing the insantity in NYC would be a good idea.

[VOA]

just another:
"Resistance Is Futile; You Will Be Assimilated" message from the MSM traitors.

[BW2221]

You're right. Unfortunately, those in power pay more attention to special interest groups, including those seeking cheap labor, than what's in the best interest of the country.

[sheana]

President Bush COULD have given one speech the other night that would mostly have fixed our illegal immigration problem since it would have caused a stampede for the border.

I have directed the head of DHS, Michael Chertoff, to vigorously enforce our current immigration laws, especially against companies hiring illegals. I will request that Congress fund everything the appropriate agencies need to do this. I have asked Congress to look at ways of making sure that noone in America illegally, receives benefits that should be reserved for American citizens. I am also requesting that federal funds be withheld from any city that claims "sanctuary". You are violating immigration laws. I am sure there are other things that can be done and we will be looking at them.

To the people currently here who have come in illegally: It is not America's place to take care of you. Yes we have compassion for you but you need to go home, get in line, and come here legally. We cannot be an economic safety valve any longer. If you are caught here, you will be deported. We must preserve America's sovereignty.

I worked that up from my humble little desk here at home, wasn't that hard and took, ummm 2 minutes. A president SERIOUS about ending illegal immigration could have done the same thing.

[HardStarboard]

Message to Tony Snow.....I recommend Freeper Sheana for White House speech writer......!!!

[mugs99]

If the government REALLY wanted any of these attempts to secure the border to be effective- they would have been.

If the government REALLY wanted to stop illegal immigration they would simply stop the paying of illegal immigrants to come here.
.

[sheana]

I applied for that job but they turned me down, I don't know how to "spin".

[Logical me]

Love this. Wait until I move first.

[spectre]

Good post! Note these words from President Theodore Roosevelt to Congress:

""No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it.""Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor." Third Annual Message to Congress, December 7, 1903

[BobL]

As I posted elsewhere, the Dems are using their SDI argument here.

The SDI argument went that if one nuke got through, then the system was a failure. True if you're on the receiving end of that nuke, not true if part of the other 98% of the population that survives.

The fence argument, as best that I can read, reads that if one illegal can get around (or over) the fence, then the fence is worthless.

That argument may have some merit if the illegal has a 20 megaton nuke strapped to his back and heads towards lower Manhattan, but the last time I checked, that wasn't the case. It was more a concern that an unwieldy number of illegals will set up their culture in this country and turn the USA into a Mexico-North. That cannot be done with 1 person, 1000 people, 1,000,000 people, but it starts getting possible at the 10,000,000 mark, and likely at the 100,000,000 mark - where we are heading.

As to walls - I challenge a liberal to explain how the Berlin Wall did not work. Sure, 40 people defeated it over the decades, but the other 15 million people in East Germany were effectively kept in place. Not a bad success rate. Same for Israel - suicide bombings way, way, down. Sure, some get through, but it's much more difficult.

It's time get serious and start sealing the border. We can always extend the fence, but not if we talk ourselves out of building it in the first place.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I like old quotes...

[org.whodat]

"No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it.""Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor." Third Annual Message to Congress, December 7, 1903

The bush-botts will be after you shortly.

[TechnicalEcstacy]

"If the government REALLY wanted any of these attempts to secure the border to be effective they would have been."


If only we could convince more people of this and hold the Republican's feet to the fire, maybe we can persuade Republicans by November to fix this. Long-shot.

[meyer]

If only we could convince more people of this and hold the Republican's feet to the fire, maybe we can persuade Republicans by November to fix this. Long-shot.

It's very difficult to hold the Republican's feet to the fire when so many, even on this conservative web site, seek to defend the open-borders supporters in the party regardless of the pending long-term consequences to the US.

[Mariner]

The REAL problem with border enforcement has always been the issue of deadly force.

When/if the US gets serious about preventing illegals from crossing...deadly force will be an integral element.

Unless we build a wall.

A wall with a tower every 3 miles or so and a patrol road from end to end. Sensors along the entire length. There should be a van with two Border Patrol every 10 miles.

This arrangement could intercept the occaisional breach...and sensors could pick up any attempt at tunneling. However, the border patrol will need to be backed up by some other federal entity...response teams every 200 miles or so (I propose an even dozen) composed of 30-50 men armed with the latest non-lethal riot suppression equipment available. The would be used to prevent a mass breach of triple-layer fencing...with the last layer on the US side being an 8ft tall wall of razor wire. Each of the "riot response teams" would require a fully armed "SWAT" team to back them up incase the run into organized, armed resistance.

The final layer would be 4-5 armed helicopter assault teams to provide a level of deterence that would be unquestioned and unchallenged by the organized drug gangs.

Under such a scenario we should never have to shoot the average Jose who is thinking of crossing...99% would be deterred by the wall...the rest intercepted by the Border Patrol in trucks. When the leftist charlatans stir riots on the other side and major breaches are attempted (I have NO DOUBT this will occur) we can deploy the riot response teams who can lay a cloud of tear gas 10 miles square.

If the govt of Mexico allows a force big and bad enuff to gather which could challenge the RRTs the helo assault team would be called into action and should persue the assaulting force into Mexico if necessary. At this point the govt of Mexico should be notified that we will no longer allow them to host a hostile, invading army on our border. If it happens a second time, we should march a brigade of Abrams tanks to Mexico City and arrest the President.

[SUSSA]

Yep, we were serious about the Korean border for 50 years and it worked well. We know how to do it. We just need a president like Ike again.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This just posted:

Mexico Works to Bar Non-Natives From Jobs