There Are Many Holes in Security on the U.S. Mexican Border

This isn't news, but it's disturbing to know that after September 11 the security of the borders hasn't been made priority number one! In fact, as of November 1, 2004, new regulations have been implemented that would force Border Patrol agents to free captured illegal aliens even if they're known to be guilty of terrorist activity. To say that this is not good is an understatement, in fact, I'm mad as hell to be informed of this new policy.

According to the NewMax story, Border Patrol sources tell San Diego's TV News 10 that under the new guidelines, the criminal history of smugglers or illegal immigrants will be considered only if they've been convicted of murder, rape, or multiple felonies in the past five years.

"If they have committed a crime longer than seven years ago, it will not be considered -- that includes crimes like child pornography, weapons crimes and even terrorism," reports the San Diego station.

Carol Lamb a U.S. (Government) Attorney mandated the policy in a letter sent to Border Patrol agents last month. Lamb has defended the policy stating, "Prosecutions will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”

Are these government people mad? We have terrorists that have nuclear devices and chemical weapons, and have stated that they are committed to destroy us.

Three weeks after Lamb's policy was made public, Time magazine reported:

"A key al-Qaeda operative seized in Pakistan recently offered an alarming account of the group's potential plans to target the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction . ...

"Sharif al-Masri, an Egyptian who was captured in late August near Pakistan's border with Iran and Afghanistan, has told his interrogators of 'al-Qaeda's interest in moving nuclear materials from Europe to either the U.S. or Mexico.' ...

"Masri also said al-Qaeda has considered plans to 'smuggle nuclear materials to Mexico, then operatives would carry material into the U.S.'"

Last year alone, 62 million people crossed into the U.S. through tightly regulated checkpoints in the San Diego area. No one knows for sure how many people cross illegally through the many holes in border security to the east.

Look at a map of the Southwest. The area is full of canyons, valleys, caves, and other landforms that are ideal for a terrorists' staging ground.

This isn't rocket science. Why have these new lax regulations been implemented in a time of war? Knowing that the border is porous and illegal activities occur several times a day, why is the border not being patrolled and protected by the military? Why isn't border security given priority?

Could it be that we have coasted so long on the erroneous belief that two oceans would protect us from invasion and harm that now we are faced with more security challenges than the government can handle. My suggestion is to hand over the border problem to border ranchers that have been patrolling for years. Give them funds to build the fence and to raise a militia if the government can't spare the military for this purpose. If we are really serious we can solve problem. I hope the solution comes before there is a terrorist incident.

There is no lock on stupidity. People living inside the beltway seem to be infected once they wander inside the perimeter. One would think that President Bush, a Texan, would understand the complete problem and would have taken action on September 12, 2001. Making nice with Vicente Fox seems to have a greater priority than border security. As I said, there's enough stupidity to go around. The border and immigration seems to be Bush's blind spot. Is the President aware of the new policies? If not, I hope someone informs him and tells him how stupid and irresponsible these policies are, especially in light of the nuclear and chemical WMD threat. Maybe he should consult Senator Sensenbrenner, or read Jefferson.

He (Jefferson) then warns prophetically:

“They will bring with them the principle of the governments they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or, if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty. These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its directions, and render it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass.” (3)

There is theory, and then there is reality. Jefferson was schooled in both. He knew that to every liberal law there were some reasonable limits.

We need artisans, he admitted, but not enemies. We want freedom-seekers, but not those who equate license with liberty. We want to offer incentives, but not “extraordinary encouragements” to the slothful. (4) We want to welcome immigrants with open arms, but not surrender our political traditions to a new majority of the uneducated and uninitiated.

Wake up and smell coffee and the enchiladas on the border Mr. President. We need you to take action now before it's too late!