Posted on 07/12/2004 10:51:41 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
Border Patrol agents who executed highly popular roundups of illegal aliens in Southern California last month – the first of their kind in recent memory – say they've been told to stop such enforcement action, and the Bush administration official in charge of the immigration enforcement has refused to say if there would be additional sweeps in the future.
In an extraordinary radio interview Thursday on Los Angeles talk-radio station KFI, talk-show host John Kobylt grilled Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson about why the roundups had been ended. The official, a former congressman who works under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, attempted to defend the Bush administration record on immigration enforcement, but was repeatedly pressured by Kobylt to justify the canceling of the sweeps.
In early June, the Temecula Border Patrol station formed a special Mobile Patrol Group that conducted a series of illegal-alien sweeps in Norco, Corona and Escondido, Calif. The12-man group made more than 450 arrests as a result of the roundups.
Ron Zermeno, shop steward for the National Border Patrol Council at the Temecula station was frustrated with the decision to stop the sweeps.
"We don't know which way to turn. For once we were doing our job, what the government pays us to do," he told the North County Times.
After the roundups occurred, Latino activists protested at Border Patrol stations demanding an end to the sweeps.
Late last month, Hutchinson told members of Congress the raids were executed without the approval of higher-ranking officials, according to the Times report. While the sweeps were not illegal, they violated policy and the chain of command, Hutchinson said at the time.
In the radio interview, which lasted 22 minutes without any commercial breaks, Kobylt repeatedly confronted Hutchinson about when sweeps of illegal aliens would begin again.
While Hutchinson did not directly confirm that the sweeps had been stopped, he repeatedly stressed that future operations would have to be "coordinated" with other agencies. He told Kobylt while the priority of the Border Patrol is stopping the flow of aliens at the border, he also supports "interior enforcement" of immigration laws.
"Those 12 guys in Temecula rounded up 400 people in three days," Kobylt said. "Why not let them do what they're doing? They don't need to coordinate with anybody.
"They were doing fine, and the American taxpayers here in Southern California were thrilled beyond belief."
While Hutchinson argued the priority should be placing personnel at the border, Kobylt countered that California has 2 million illegal aliens who he says are a drain on the taxpayers of the state.
"It's $5 billion in tax money going down the hole every year to support these people," he told Hutchinson. "Why aren't you doing your job? Why do we still have tens of thousands of illegal aliens piling over the border every year?"
Kobylt charged Hutchinson with not neglecting the task of interior enforcement, pointing out the California roundups were big news stories because such action had not been taken "for years."
"When are the [round ups] going to start up again?" Kobylt asked Hutchinson.
"I'm not going to announce that on the radio," responded the official, who appeared riled by Kobylt's direct and persistent questioning. "You can expect interior enforcement actions in the future."
Kobylt accused Hutchinson of bowing to political pressure from immigrant-rights groups. He slammed the official for not confirming that the roundups would continue.
Said Kobylt after one of Huthinson's responses: "That's gobbledy-gook."
The host continued to pound on the roundup issue, but did not get the "yes or no" answer he was looking for.
"Yes or no, are you going to restart the border sweeps?" Kobylt pressed.
Responded Hutchinson: "We're going to continue the enforcement operations. They'll be coordinated between the Border Patrol and the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents. And that's the commitment that we make."
The talk-show host also pressed Hutchinson on the lack of enforcement action against employers in Southern California who hire illegal aliens.
"We have never seen a single company executive indicted for employing illegal aliens in this state," Kobylt said, who told Hutchinson he was "tap dancing" around his pointed questions.
"We have an enormous illegal-alien problem here in Southern California, and we are getting zero help from the federal government," Kobylt said.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a long-time advocate of tough immigration enforcement talked to Kobylt and co-host Ken Chiampou yesterday about the interview.
Kobylt encouraged Tancredo to read part of the interview on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"Well, that's an idea," Tancredo said. "I will talk about this on the House floor and I will try to figure out a way to interweave that."
Said Kobylt: "We don't want this Hutchinson thing to die. …
"I don't care if [Hutchinson's] a nice guy or not. I don't care if he gives mouth-to-mouth to dying dogs. It doesn't matter to me. Is he going to do the job on something that is extremely important that three-quarters of the state wants enforced?"
Zermeno said the halt in sweeps stems from pressure from Latino-rights activists and others.
"It's a few activists that are screaming for us to stop doing our job, and they are the ones getting Hutchinson's ear. It's very frustrating," Zermeno told the Times.
The KFI talkers have urged listeners to contact Hutchinson's office about the issue. The following message appears on the show's website:
Trey Bohn is the director of Radio, Office of Media Affairs, for the White House, and he wants you to stop e-mailing Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Trey wants you to use a generic e-mail address, where you letters may or may not be seen. If you get a chance, why not give Trey a call and remind him who pays his salary. Call Trey at (202) 456-3851. Joseph Farah, WND editor and host of radio program "WorldNetDaily RadioActive," will play the interview on his show today. The program runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
"Good enough then. Who has got your vote? I am voting Bush."
Glad to hear that you care enough to vote
My vote is my business whether I choose to vote for Bush or jump ship to the Constitution Party is also my business.
One thing I can assure you tho, Kerry will never get my vote. Nor will any Demoncrap
Mind-blowing, ain't it?!
Kerry as POTUS would either lead to the end of the DemocRAT communist Party or will lead to The Civil War.
Either way a watering appears to be long overdue for the tree of Liberty.
142 - so you are concerned about terrorists coming across the border up there?
Well, I will tell you what - I did some checking, and the population of the state of Washington is about 6 million. Now, right here in Texas, we probably have an extra 6 million illegal mexicans. So how about, if we ship them up there to Washington state, and you can worry about them and supporting them and then you wouldn't have to worry about the terrorists infiltrating.
It's not you (south) against us (north). If a terrorist makes it across the northern border at Badger's Ass Montana, we are all in trouble.
I focus on terrorism because that is my job. I understand your issues down there but they don't invalidate our issues up here.
165 - You miss the point. While you are concentrating on apprehending the burglar, we are trying to cope with the flood washing away our whole house.
The mexicans are taking about 1/3 of our whole country, right at this moment, with their massive illegal immigration, and in another few years it will be the whole country.
Terrorists will kill a few, or a few thousand. The mexican invasion will take our whole country out and turn it into mexico.
I didn't miss your point at all. We can be concerned with both terrorism and illegal immigration; it's not a zero sum game.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
Well said. Millions of illegal aliens who don't and don't want to assimilate are a clear and present danger and the tens of millions who are coming will be the death of the USA.
82 - "Is that honestly what you want?"
Unfortunately, yes. That's how serious the situation is down here on our southern border.
are you male or female?
168 - "Well said. Millions of illegal aliens who don't and don't want to assimilate are a clear and present danger and the tens of millions who are coming will be the death of the USA."
Thanks. Glad someone understands. And you put it very succinctly.
Why?
Why? to help figure out the way you think, and reply.
I get the impression you are female from your posts and responses, and your page says you are a lifer marine.
So, are you a BAM?
(Now I'm Ducking for cover)
LOL! I haven't heard that in ages!
Yes, I'll cop to that. It's a fact, you know, that you can put more men in the back of a 6-by than you can women. Really.
174 - "LOL! I haven't heard that in ages!"
Ah, life was good and far more fun back in the BPC days (Before Political Correctness).
One of my favorite and most serious girl friends was a cute blond BAM captain. But unfortunately we got shipped to different ends of the earth (I was USAF).
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