Border Security -- A Major Citizen Concern Being Ignored
By Thomas D. Segel
May 2, 2005

It happened again last weekend. The Rio Grande Valley of Texas made the news when more than 100 illegal aliens from Brazil were apprehended and then released by the Border Patrol. Why is this worthy of reporting? The main reason... Brazil is identified by our government as a country that could be host to terrorists. This means any illegal entry by people from that country should automatically trigger some serious response by our Homeland Security forces. Instead, these suspect illegals were released on their own recognizance, with a promise they would return for their deportation hearings.

Until recently officials have been telling us that 90% of those illegal immigrants released with instructions to return for court dates have vanished into the American heartland. Now the same officials are saying that only 70% fail to reappear at court hearings. Perhaps they feel the lower percentage of "no-shows" will ease citizen concerns about a border open to all who wish to cross into the United States.

As incidents involving illegal immigration continue to be reported, more and more citizens are becoming angered at the lack of governmental response. People such as Phillip Jones of San Antonio, Texas write, "They should put up a fence or patrol with reserves and volunteers or both." Ray Arnett of Stockton, California says," Build an 18 foot, 100,000 volt electric fence around the United States". He would also build guard towers manned with automatic weapons. When all of that was in place he would have... "Federal, state, county and city governments coordinate a massive sweep of the nation to round up every illegal alien and then transport him or her to their countries of origin"

Jewel Sheldon, in an email responding to my last article on this topic says, "Forget the damned vegetables, I can get along without them. I'd like to see every illegal in this country deported. We were able to feed our citizens and most of the world before illegals and we can do it again."

Stacy Roberts, another California friend, writes, "The guys in power -- both parties -- are not interested in prosecuting the people who hire these illegal aliens. If they would crack down on that front we would see fewer illegal immigrants. Look at what happens when the police crack down on the Johns as well as the hookers...the problem shrinks tremendously."

Out of Ohio, Bill Draper suggests huge fines against employers. "If you want to stop this massive flow of illegal people", he says, "Try fining companies in the thousands of dollars per incident. If it keeps happening the businesses could be closed."

Earl Lee is a national district chairman for AMVETS. He feels National ID Cards should be issued to all citizens. "We should also make it a crime to hire anyone who doesn't possess a card. First offense -- 30 days in the slammer."

Suggestions such as these abound. One reader would have us liberate Mexico and another would bring in immigrants from Northern Ireland and let them homestead along the border. The idea is they would stop any illegals attempting to cross their land.

While many Americans have ideas about securing our borders which would be considered extreme by any standard, there are dozens upon dozens of people who have written giving very serious thought to the dangers we face with little to no border protection.

Retired Army Sergeant Major Paul Pritchett of Missouri feels we need to change the face of Washington to solve the problem. "If we keep electing people like we now have in office, it will not get any better. A drastic change must take place at the ballot box. We now have a government that doesn't give one whit about what the average American thinks.... In my opinion this country works better when whichever party holds the White House, either the Senate of the House needs to be controlled by the opposing party. It seems that then they will listen to the citizens."

June Venable of Texas supports more efforts by the Minutemen. "I'm afraid", she says, "that until our President decides he's on our side the problems will increase. Thank heaven for the brave souls of the Minutemen Project."

Though disparaged in the liberal media, organizations such as Chris Simcox's Minutemen border security volunteers in Arizona have been gaining huge support from the American people and reluctantly even some elected officials. Colorado representative Tom Tancredo is paying attention to what these volunteers have been doing. At the same time, Morton Angler, another supporter, has contacted Minutemen organizers and proposed the idea of a formal Reserve/Auxiliary for the Border Patrol. Simcox has presented this and his other ideas in Washington and will be speaking again to a House committee.

A Reserve/Auxiliary is not new to American defense. I was too young for service in World War II, but joined a State Guard and had duties patrolling important sites. Family members were in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and had weekly duty assignments guarding our docks. This type of service was in play across the United States, and those of us either too young or too old to be in the armed forces manned the units.

Retired Marine combat correspondent and well-known author Charles W. Henderson has a very bleak assessment of our border condition. Writing from Colorado, he charges, "Today we have a $50-billion dollar a year gun and drug trafficking industry that depends upon porous borders and black holes for continued operations. We also have half a million illegal immigrants working as slaves. Yes slaves. Not slaves with low wages, but literally people bought and sold into slavery and brought here illegally. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is vigorously pursuing this ugly matter but has little or no support on high."

Henderson further charges that key officials such as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Robert Bonner, along with Chief of the U. S. Border Patrol David V. Aguilar do little or nothing. "They purposefully keep the borders porous by watering down and emasculating initiatives that would plug the black holes and stop much of the illegal crossing. Does someone pay these guys to look the other way? I think so!" He further feels that with billions of dollars in play, many key Washington officials can be paid to ignore the borders.

Anyone living on or near the border knows the current situation promotes drug trafficking and gun running. It doesn't take any great leap of imagination to believe the do-nothing attitude of our elected leaders is an open invitation to terrorists.

Another author friend, Frank Stolz, of Round Rock, Texas gives readers a frightening scenario about what could happen as the result of our inattention to security in his new book, "Stage One -- WMD Attacks on America".

Frank's solution to the border problems would be to, "Start with a notice that 6 months hence, all will be informed there will be no more free medical programs other than emergency assistance, no social programs such as food stamps, social security funds, or disability funding for illegals, nor will they be allowed any future opportunities to gain citizenship, if caught entering the USA illegally."

He further suggests that illegal-crossing offenders be jailed for one month and then returned to their country of origin. If the home country fails to incarcerate the offenders upon their return, trade and financial sanctions should be imposed. Stolz does feel that legal immigration quotas should be increased. However, once here, lawbreakers should be quickly deported.

No one should be surprised that most rank and file customs and border officials support just about anything that will stop the flood of humanity pouring across our borders. They too offer suggestions on how things could be secured. At the same time they all ask not to be quoted or have their names mentioned for fear of official retribution.

One agent tells us that right after 9/11 it took four hours for trucks to cross the border at San Ysidro, California. Today the leadership is more concerned that no vehicle waits too long before entering. Crossings now average about a 30 minute wait to enter the United States. The agents claim on our northern border trucks simply drive right past the x-ray station. Port directors allow big rigs to enter at small out ports which are only manned by two people who have no way of inspecting the trucks.

We now hear that The Minutemen are about to start up border security operations in New Mexico and California. More than 20,000 volunteers have already signed up to stand watch. Doesn't it seem strange that a huge volunteer organization can leap into action in just a few weeks, while the leadership of this powerful nation can't come up with a real plan in more than three years?

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.