Bush Budget Scraps 9,790 Border Patrol Agents (From 2005)

President uses law's escape clause to drop funding for new homeland security force.

Washington -- The law signed by President Bush less than two months ago to add thousands of border patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border has crashed into the reality of Bush's austere federal budget proposal, officials said Tuesday.

Officially approved by Bush on Dec. 17 after extensive bickering in Congress, the National Intelligence Reform Act included the requirement to add 10,000 border patrol agents in the five years beginning with 2006. Roughly 80 percent of the agents were to patrol the southern U.S. border from Texas to California, along which thousands of people cross into the United States illegally every year.

But Bush's proposed 2006 budget, revealed Monday, funds only 210 new border agents.

The shrunken increase reflects the lack of money for an army of border guards and the capacity to train them, officials said.

Retired Adm. James Loy, acting head of the Department of Homeland Security until nominee Michael Chertoff takes over, said funding only 210 new agents was a "recognition that we need to balance those things as we go on down the road with other priorities."

The White House referred questions about the border agents to the Homeland Security Department.

The law signed by Bush had a caveat that went virtually unreported at the time. A summary, published by the Senate Government Affairs Committee, required the government to increase the number of border patrol agents by at least 2,000 per year, "subject to available appropriations."

Democrats were unhappy that the proposed budget used the escape clause so soon after the president approved the huge boost in border agents.

"We know we must do more to shore up security along our borders," said Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, top Democrat on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. "The president's budget does not even attempt to meet this challenge."

"This is an area of homeland security that needs to be ramped up in order to increase surveillance and patrols of our nation's vast and often remote borders," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

A Jan. 24 letter signed by leading Republican lawmakers implored the president to fully fund the new law "in order to secure our borders against infiltration by terrorists."

The lead signer was Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a leader of GOP efforts to toughen immigration laws and anti-terrorism statutes.

From 2007: the Bush/Kennedy bill:

The Immigration Spin Stops Here: What S. 1348 Really Says About Hiring More Border Patrol Agents

"....The bill calls for a gradual increase in hiring: at least 2000 additional agents in fiscal 2007, followed by at least 2,400 additional every fiscal year from 2008 to 2012, subject to the availability of appropriations.

The 2007 bill continues the Bush ruse. Empty promises, false linkages that border security must be tied to giving the wage depression lobbies a short term juicing of profits.

For Your Information:

Mexican Amnesty Activists Have A Direct Line to OUR Senators!

For those of you having difficulty getting thru to your senator, here is the 800 # paid for by the Mexican Amnesty Activists:

800-882-2005

This will get you directly to your senator unlike the #'s available to the US Citizen.

Press 1 when you hear a Spanish message, then Press 1 again to be transferred to your senior senator's office

Press 2 when you hear a Spanish message, and you'll be transferred to your junior senator's office.

You get through immediately and the call is paid for by the enemy!

Employers would have no trouble shutting down the border if they could get sued by someone under the RICO statutes for hiring these people in the first place. The next time an illegal alien kills someone in a drunk driving accident or somesuch thing, I’m going to point out that the victim’s family might be able to seek compensation from the employer under these statutes in the hopes that it would catch on. If this did catch on, would see such a swift backlash against illegal immigration that no employer would go near these people and they’ll all simply want to go back home.

Becoming Illegal (From a Maryland resident to his senator) The
> Honorable Paul S. Sarbanes Senate Office Building
> 309 Hart
> Washington DC, 20510
>
> Dear Senator Sarbanes,
>
> As a native Marylander and excellent customer of the Internal
Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.
>
> My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S.
Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill’s provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.
>
> Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay
taxes every year so I’m excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in
2004 and 2005.
>
> Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local
emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year. Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as “in- state” tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.
>
> Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the
burden of renewing my driver’s license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college-age children driving my car.
>
> If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become
illegal(retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.
>
> Your Loyal Constituent,
>
> Pete McGlaughlin
>
> Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service 1-800-
289-1040. Please pass this onto your friends so they can save on this great offer!!!!
>
> Explain it to me once more: WHY do I have to “Press 1 for
English”?

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