Your border security dollars at work

[Mister Bushice]

The scariest part is all the ones they are not even catching

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people from countries other than Mexico arrested trying to cross the U.S. southern border has almost doubled this year, the head of the U.S. border patrol told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday.

David Aguilar told the House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee on homeland security the United States was continuing to experience a rising influx of what he termed OTMs -- other than Mexicans -- trying to enter the country illegally.

"Apprehensions are running at a rate of 175 percent for fiscal year 2005 over FY 2004's record number of OTM apprehensions on the southwest border," Aguilar said.

In all, the border patrol has detained 919,000 illegal immigrants so far this year, of whom 119,000 were non-Mexicans. The largest single number -- over 12,000 -- came from Brazil.

U.S. officials believe the increase stems from non-Mexican illegal immigrants knowing they will be released even if they are caught crossing the border.

Mexicans caught by U.S. border patrols trying to enter the country illegally are usually immediately returned to their native land. Many simply wait a day and then try to sneak into the country again.

But Mexico accepts only Mexicans, so any non-Mexicans are checked against government watch lists as a potential security or criminal threat.

If their names do not appear, they are normally released on their own recognizance and told to appear at a deportation hearing often months in the future. Some 85 percent fail to show up for the hearing and are never seen again.

Lawmakers are increasingly concerned that terrorists could slip across the Mexican border, particularly since U.S. authorities have vastly tightened visa scrutiny and airport checks in the past four years, especially for people seeking to enter the United States from the Middle East.

Aguilar said that last year the border patrol detained 644 people from "countries of concern" and had stopped some 500 this year. They were subjected to intense interrogation and investigation.

Subcommittee chairman Hal Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky, said the figures were striking and alarming.

"We should be greatly concerned because OTMs do not register (with the authorities), their travel documents are suspect and they have no biometric records that can be checked to verify identity," he said.

Immigration bills being submitted to Congress seek to increase the detention space at the border, which currently stands at just under 20,000 beds.

Aguilar said the best way to deter people from crossing the border illegally was to increase the number of those detained.

Leonard Kovensky, acting director of detention and removal operations at the Department of
Homeland Security, told the subcommittee his department deported 85,000 illegal aliens with criminal records last year and had already removed over 45,000 in the first four months of this year.

At a separate subcommittee hearing on alien smuggling across the Mexican border, Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder (news, bio, voting record) criticized the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for only devoting 7 percent of its investigative hours last year to the problem.

"This is simply not acceptable," he said.

[DrDetroit]

So what are the Democrats doing about this?

[Rushville]

This is one of the areas where I am not happy with what Bush has done.

I supported the decision to remove Saddam. I support his tax cuts. And I support his effort to reform the tax code., although he's moving way to damn slow for my taste on that.

But he hasn't done shit to bolster our border defense. He seems to have taken an Indianapolis Colts-like approach to the "war on terror". It all offense and very little defense. We've scored left and right on them. But if they try to get across our border/goal line, we've got the equivalent of a 5-8, 175 lb. safety there with no tackling ability.

We need to take some of that money we're flushing down the desert over there and spend it on improving our Homeland. How about a wall.

[Felix]

So what are the Democrats doing about this?

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

What are the Republicans, you know the ones that control the checkbook doing about it?

[DrDetroit]

So what are the Democrats doing about this?

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

What are the Republicans, you know the ones that control the checkbook doing about it?

1) The Democrats could be proposing their own legislation, taking their proposals to the public, etc. They are doing neither let alone anything else.

2) The Republicans are funding the current programs, reorganizing the Homeland Security Department, and proposing legislation ranging from open borders to funding actual enforcement of current law.

Bushice failed to provide a "take" re: this article. Knowing his lefty issues I took it that he was complaining that the Republcians were not doing enough.

The primary problem here is that there is no national discussion about what we, Americans, want immigration to do for us. Not knowing has led to the current disaster we are in now...lots of laws with zero enforcement and special interest groups controlling the issue.

For example: we could very easily check social security numbers when new employees are completing the INS tax id papers for a new employer. However, employers cannot do that because the INS is prohibited from linking up with the social security administration databases. Why? Because of groups like the ACLU who successfully fought such checks on the basis a privacy right (a right wholly fabricated by the judiciairy).

Why don't we detain and deport all of these people? The national will has not been measured, that's why. Could we do it? Certainly. But since enforcing these current laws only leads to charges of xenophobia, racism, discrimination, etc. from the lefty groups...well...here we are.

[Felix]

So what are the Democrats doing about this?

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

What are the Republicans, you know the ones that control the checkbook doing about it?

The Republicans are funding the current programs, reorganizing the Homeland Security Department, and proposing legislation ranging from open borders to funding actual enforcement of current law.

So in other words--nothing.......thanks for the update

[DrDetroit]

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

What are the Republicans, you know the ones that control the checkbook doing about it?

The Republicans are funding the current programs, reorganizing the Homeland Security Department, and proposing legislation ranging from open borders to funding actual enforcement of current law.

So in other words--nothing.......thanks for the update

The administration has floated their amnesty policy.
Senator Cornyn has proposed legislation requiring funding existing immigration enforcement before illegals can be granted amnesty.

That's just two. Kennedy is a co-author (well, bullshit, he just signed on) to legislation proposed by another Republican.

You were saying what??

Mvscal, I was also going to raise the obstruction issue, but Felix wouldn't get it.

Also, the Democrats are having no problem demanding the President should be sharing the constitutional authority vested in the Executive branch.

[Mister Bushice]

Hey, it's a budget thing, and Bush and Congress decided that it was more important to blow up iraq than tyo secure our borders better.

You can try to just blame the dems as usual, detroit, but I don't recall Bush mentioning this particular aspect of the war on terror in his request for appropriations to fight the war on terror, nor do I see anything more than lip service being done about it in congress by either side.

We have to wait for one of the ones that disappeared to blow something up before it becomes I priority, I guess.

[Felix]

So what are the Democrats doing about this?

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

They don't seem to have any trouble obstructing anything they don't like.

That includes immigration enforcement, by the way.

Okay, which immigration reform proposals have they obstructed while Bush has been in office?

[Felix]

The hysterical opposition to the Minutemen volunteers at the border came from which end of the political spectrum?

Guess that would be whoever referred to them as vigilantes.....

[Mister Bushice]

or perhaps whoever placed a restriction on how long they could stay there.

[Felix]

Mvscal, I was also going to raise the obstruction issue, but Felix wouldn't get it.

Sure I would, just produce the list of immigration reforms proposed by the Bush Administration that the Democrats have obstructed......

[DrDetroit]

As the minority party, there's little they can do.

They don't seem to have any trouble obstructing anything they don't like.

That includes immigration enforcement, by the way.

Okay, which immigration reform proposals have they obstructed while Bush has been in office?

How about the extreme opposition to the Patriot Act?

[DrDetroit]

Mvscal, I was also going to raise the obstruction issue, but Felix wouldn't get it.

Sure I would, just produce the list of immigration reforms proposed by the Bush Administration that the Democrats have obstructed......

I was referring more generally to the recent obctructionist theme of the Democratic minority in Congress.

The Democrats have the power to introduce legislation if they want to. They can also block legislation if they want to.

That's a response to your inane drivel re: the power of the minority party in Congress.

[Mister Bushice]

which has nothing to do with how border immigration enforcement should be funded and implemented.

[Felix]

I was referring more generally to the recent obctructionist theme of the Democratic minority in Congress.

The Democrats have the power to introduce legislation if they want to. They can also block legislation if they want to.

That's a response to your inane drivel re: the power of the minority party in Congress.

and here's another example of why you'll always be considered a fucking tool......

You open that rat trap accusing the Democrats of obstructing immigration reform and when asked to produce an example, you start talking about the Patriot act.

Nice swing and miss mook, care to try again....

[DrDetroit]

I didn't suggest that Democrats have been obstructing immiration reform. That reading comprehension thing has got you by the balls, again, eh??

I provided an example Democratic obstruction ... though I recognize your point. It was not my intent to characterize the Patriot Act as immigration law. I didn't finish reading your post before posting that to see that you were referring only to obstruction of immigration reform.

[Ang]

Neither party is showing any leadership on the issue of illegal immigration. The Republicans are the ones that should be the leaders on this, and they are not doing it. A few weak PR lines here and there, but basically a total sham. Blaming the Democrats on this one just doesn't work for me...there has been no real opposition because there hasn't been a real proposition.

The Minutemen volunteers were awesome. But they did that because no one else was doing anything. Don't blame the left for their opposition of the Minutemen...blame the Reps for the Minutemen having to be there because of the void of any action by the folks in power.

[DrDetroit]

Neither party is showing any leadership on the issue of illegal immigration. The Republicans are the ones that should be the leaders on this, and they are not doing it. A few weak PR lines here and there, but basically a total sham. Blaming the Democrats on this one just doesn't work for me...there has been no real opposition because there hasn't been a real proposition.

The Minutemen volunteers were awesome. But they did that because no one else was doing anything. Don't blame the left for their opposition of the Minutemen...blame the Reps for the Minutemen having to be there because of the void of any action by the folks in power.

Bullshit, the administration is leading the way for the Open Borders groups with its amnesty program.

[Mister Bushice]

and yet, we are involved in a "war on terror", right? rather odd they'd take this border security issue so casually and yet be so gung ho in the war 15,000 miles away from where we live.

[Ang]

Good point. It's a disconnect that I find disturbing.

[Variable]

and yet, we are involved in a "war on terror", right? rather odd they'd take this border security issue so casually and yet be so gung ho in the war 15,000 miles away from where we live.

Funny thing about this issue is they are so dead wrong on how they've judged the public opinion on illegal immigration, that they've painted themselves into a corner. Because this issue is so important to everyone, by taking the stance that they have, they're either portraying themselves as hideously corrupt in an attempt to provide an endless supply of cheap labor to campaign donors, or slow, stupid, inept and too dim to see the big picture.

The things that are generally important to Americans are those that affect their day-to-day lives. That is, traffic, healthcare, money, crime, entertainment and food. Millions of illegals have clogged our highways (in SoCal anyway), bogged down our emergency rooms with crowds there to be seen for the flu, cost us billions in tax revenue and caused tax and fee increases, have driven down wages for the lower class of working Americans, are overrunning our prison system since many are forced to steal or sell drugs if they can't find work or just want a fast buck, have so inundated our society with Spanish language ads, tv and radio programs that we now have to "press '1' for English" when we get an automated menu, and many lack basic education in personal hygiene areas such as washing ones hands after taking a dump, so that a trip to a local restaurant frequently results in several subsequent adventurous trips to the bathroom.

If a politician ever has the gonads to run as a Pro-legal immigration candidate, he would win in a landslide. Book it. Rather than kissing Vincente Fox's ass to try to get him to allow more American business in Mexico, we should tell him that if he doesn't stop exporting his poor and his criminals to this country that we'll stop letting American Business relocate there and tax the shit out of American companies until they want to come back. Enough with him dangling the carrot in front of us. It's time to crack him with the stick.

[stuckinia]

Mvscal, I was also going to raise the obstruction issue, but Felix wouldn't get it.

Sure I would, just produce the list of immigration reforms proposed by the Bush Administration that the Democrats have obstructed......

Here's one, http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... vote=00179.

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?S ... 3730-9587r

Only 2 Ds voted Yea. No explanation for the Rs who voted Nay except for being RINOs or those whoring for midterm votes.

[Mister Bushice]

Mvscal, I was also going to raise the obstruction issue, but Felix wouldn't get it.

Sure I would, just produce the list of immigration reforms proposed by the Bush Administration that the Democrats have obstructed......

Here's one, http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... vote=00179.

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?S ... 3730-9587r

Only 2 Ds voted Yea. No explanation for the Rs who voted Nay except for being RINOs or those whoring for midterm votes.

Bullshit. That legislation's nothing more than a piece of gauze over a sucking chest wound. the problem is far bigger than that and the republicans are just looking to pass some window dressing so the scope of the problem doesn't get noticed.

and your vote link is a dead end.