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Return to Article: Border concerns bubble up at Senate hearing

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  This is reminiscent of the potemkin village that was put up at Miami airport a few years ago when Reno and some other folks visited. Anybody else remember that?

  Old INS'er Posted April 24, 2005 4:05 PM
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  The look on Janet Reno's face as she rode a Border Patrol horse, captured on the cover of the old INS rag "Communique", had to have been worth all of the trouble her VIP visit made. She looked happier in that shot than any other I remember. Reno attended every Border Patrol Agent killed in-the-line-of-duty's funeral, as I remember the days. The visits translate to funding or hopefully a better understanding of the situation. Look at what a cat-box San Diego's situation was before she and Meissner made their trip(s). In terms of immigration-related enforcement, she brought a ton of improvement.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 22, 2005 4:41 PM
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  It is amazing how everyone is missing the point. THE U.S. WANTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. The illegal immigrants ARE CHEAP LABOR. Legal immigration is EXPENSIVE LABOR. An illegal alien will work for half the salary of a legal immigrant. There is no way that corporate America is going to allow illegal immigration to stop, and cut into their precious profits. Congress are the flunkies of corporate America. If Congress does not do what corporate America wants they will not get donations for their party. It is as simple as that. So stop spinning your wheels, immigration enforcement is nothing but a joke. It is here to stay. Accept it and move on before you drop dead of a heart attack.

  It's nice to be ICE Posted April 22, 2005 1:56 PM
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  Spouse was stationed in Nogales when Meisner and Reno visited. Security nightmare, had to coordinate more than 4 agencies and at least 2 on Mexican side to provide a safe environment for the VIP to even get near the border. The agents will love this visit or hate it, all hands on deck, mandantory OT, days off and leave cancelled, schedules disrupted. No tacky, worn uniforms allowed, if you need new, order it now. The areas to be viewed will have lots of coverage, everywhere else will essentially be wide open. Find enough working walkies, borrow from other stations, reprogram. Endless planning for VIP to get from one place to another, and the contingency plans for last minute changes or anything that might go wrong. Checks and clearances for anyone who is not a federal employee the VIP might want to talk to, visit or meet with. Each stop, area, building, room needs to have enough uniformed officers to guard and secure it. Make sure enough of the 'right' kind of vehicles and drivers are available to transport VIP & entourage. It just goes on and on. Quite a few people are going to be very busy for about 2 months. Can only hope that the time, expense, and disruption this visit will cause will be worth seeing a sanitized version of a hot spot on the border.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 22, 2005 9:58 AM
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  So Secretary Chertoff will be making an expedition to the Southwest border once his handlers have worked out the exact details of the trip - I wonder what he'll see? Likely just enough so he can declare victory and confirm the Presidential theory that a bunch of vigilantes are loose along the Arizona border.

  Although I can understand Presidente Fox's position, I do not understand Presidente Bush's. Maybe Tom DeLay can help explain as he seems to operate using "south of the border" style politics. Then again, perhaps if Presidente Bush issues an Executive Order declaring the 4th of July be observed on the 16th of September...

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2005 10:57 AM
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  With all due respect Mr. Chertoff, we are getting our rear ends handed to us. It's halftime and you must make changes to the gameplan, quickly.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 20, 2005 10:41 PM
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  Sen. Larry Craig:

  "If we cannot control our border, we will never be able to write immigration policy that works."

  I find this statement to be quite ironic considering that immigration policy IS the reason we can't control our borders. And Congress (which includes Larry Craig) is the main cuplrit in developing that policy. Translated, what Craig was really saying was this:

  "Because of our faulty immigration policies, we will never be able to write immigration policy that works." Does that make any sense to anyone?

  I also find it ironic that Congress is feigning an attempt at trying to really get a hold of the southern border when they have halted such attempts in the past. Several years ago, a Border Patrol supervisor stationed agents at every 50 meters along the border, and in a one week period they made such a record number of arrests that the Mexican government complained. That supervisor was then ordered to shut down the operation.

  Congress is in a bad position, here. As demonstrated time and again through their past actions (and lack thereof), they clearly don't want to slow down illegal immigration, but yet they have to make the public think that they are doing something about it. How will they figure out a way to continue to allow illegal immigrants to pour in but yet trick the public into thinking it is under control? This is the question I'm sure many government officials are now asking themselves.

  I also find it disturbing that they are pinning this responsibility on Chertoff's shoulders when it is they who are responsible for the problem. This would be equivalent to Pablo Escobar in 1990 telling the Colombian government they have to get drug trafficking under control.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 20, 2005 10:32 PM