The Command Post - Global War On Terror

September 10, 2004

Problems on the border

The Tucson Weekly has a round-up of the chatter about al Qaeda infiltrating the U.S. from Mexico. Other Than Mexicans:

...In early August, the Washington Times reported that al-Qaeda is allying with Mexican organized crime groups to infiltrate the United States via Mexico.

In late July, ABC News reported that the Border Patrol had arrested a woman named Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed. The arrest was made at McAllen-Miller airport in South Texas, where Ahmed was attempting to board a flight to New York. She acknowledged that smugglers brought her across the Rio Grande from Mexico; the FBI declared Ahmed a "person of interest."

Congressman Solomon Ortiz, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, was quoted in the Brownsville Herald as saying that Mexicans [I think he meant "Other Than Mexicans" --LW] with possible terrorist ties have been detained after entering the country from Mexico, but are being released for lack of jail space. "It's very, very scary," said Ortiz.
[...more examples deleted...]

A couple of days ago, Vice President Dick Cheney said: "we've got so many people coming across [the border] illegally -- primarily for economic reasons, that want to come to work in the United States. But we have no idea who is here..."

Just today, the Washington Times published an interview with our "Border Czar," Asa Hutchinson. Rounding up all illegals 'not realistic':

The nation's border czar yesterday said it is "not realistic" to think that law-enforcement authorities can arrest or deport the millions of illegal aliens now in the United States and does not think the American public has the "will ... to uproot" those aliens. Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson also said taxpayers "might be afraid" to learn how much it would take in manpower and resources to control the nation's borders and described as "probably accurate" a statement that no law-enforcement officials are looking for the vast majority of the 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens thought to be in the country...

[NOTE: Very few people are proposing rounding up all illegal aliens. Rather, most are suggesting simply enforcing the law, especially as it relates to those who employ illegals and thus form as a massive incentive for illegal aliens to come here. See, for instance, Enforcement Blues: Do we want an immigration agency that works, or not? --LW]

From the article Who is really to blame for illegal immigration?

...Illegal immigration could be stopped at any time. Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, a twenty-six year veteran of the border patrol, commented on the issue of curbing illegal immigration... �We can show statistically that the employer sanctions was an effective tool,� remarked Reyes.

The article Employer fines plummet for hiring illegals has the numbers. Example: in the first five months of this year, just one company in the whole U.S. was fined for immigration violations.

Posted by Lonewacko at September 10, 2004 06:06 PM | TrackBack

Comments

I have always thought the solution to this was best left to the illegals themselvs, since managing them or stopping them all is impossible. Make it simple: if you turn in or capture a OTM trying to get into the united states and hand them over to authorities then you get citizenship, and a big fat reward, no questions asked.

If you are even 'suspected' of trying to help a OTM infiltrate this country, your executed, on the border. No questions asked.

Call me insane, but i live in Texas.

Posted by: Ronin at September 11, 2004 10:36 PM

My concern about the border is the crossing of terrorists not illegals looking for work. I think we need to address the problem as 2 seperate issues. I seriously doubt a terrorists is going to be working with the crew that cuts my grass or standing at the neighborhood day labor station ready to jump on a pickup truck for a day job.

Posted by: TexasGal at September 11, 2004 11:06 PM

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