House Told Criminals Swelling Alien Tide(President Bush? Are you listening?)

The Washington Times ^ | July 8, 2006 | Charles Hurt

[kellynla]

Most of the people who sneak across the border are no longer good people in search of honest work, the sheriff of a border county in Texas told a House subcommittee yesterday, but rather criminals who belong to gangs and drug cartels.

"For years we have seen individuals enter the country illegally," said Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr., sheriff of Zapata County. "However, recently we feel that many of these persons are no longer entering the country to look for legitimate employment. We are now seeing that many of these persons are members of ruthless and violent gangs."

Sheriff Gonzalez's testimony before the House International Relations subcommittee was part of a series of "field hearings" held across the country to gauge voter opinion on reforming the nation's immigration laws. Yesterday's hearing was held in Laredo, in Zapata County.

"Some areas can accurately be described as a war zone," panel Chairman Ed Royce, California Republican, told The Washington Times after touring the border near Laredo.

Sheriff Gonzalez told members of the subcommittee that the number of illegal aliens from places other than Mexico -- including countries on terrorist watch lists -- caught crossing the border has more than quintupled in the past four years. Increasingly, he said, they try blending in to look like Mexicans crossing the border in search of honest work.

With more than 165,000 illegal aliens caught in fiscal 2005, Sheriff Gonzalez said, he can only imagine how many succeed in getting across.

"I dare to say that at any given time, daytime or nighttime, one can get on a boat and traverse back and forth between Texas and Mexico and not get caught," he said.

[kellynla]

"If smugglers can bring in tons of marijuana and cocaine at one time and can smuggle 20-30 persons at one time, one can just imagine how easy it would be to bring in two to three terrorists or their weapons of mass destruction across the river and not be detected."

But according to Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Karl Rove thinks Hayworth "just has a problem with brown people." Yea, Karl, anyone who wants the immigration laws enforced are just racial bigots. Thats the ticket...I think ol' Karl needs to start wearing a hat on that bald head. The D.C. sun has obviously fried what gray matter there is between his ears!

[kellynla]

ping

[Paladin2]

Weel, I'm glad they found some people to go to jail. I sure don't want to.

[cripplecreek]

"field hearings" held across the country to gauge voter opinion on reforming the nation's immigration laws.

If they want to gauge voter opinion they should be holding town hall meeting with the people. However this is better than nothing.

[ncountylee]

President Bush? Are you listening?

The President may be working on a new straw man argument to answer Sheriff Gonzalez, but I don't think that's what you meant.

[vetsvette]

"But according to Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Karl Rove thinks Hayworth "just has a problem with brown people."

I wonder if Karl knows enough Spanish to interpret "La Raza" -- he probably does, but bows to the leftist view that only white people can be racists.

[raybbr]

My name is Louis J. Barletta, and I am the Mayor of the City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

As mayor of Hazleton, I have had enough!

From this thread.

And, neither Bush nor Kennedy nor Specter are listening.

[mtbopfuyn]

The audience in Laredo was full of activists on both sides of the issue.

And once again ICE failed on what would have been a easy sweep.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Correct!