Posted on 05/29/2008 9:32:41 AM PDT by mnehring
Short answer: No. Are they more secure than they were January 19, 2001? I believe all evidence points to the affirmative. For your consideration:
In 2000 there were approximately 9000 border patrol agents. By the time Bush leaves office that number is projected to double to 18,000. Apprehensions and deportations are up. Illegal crossings are down.
The ever-expanding Val Verde County jail is filled with would-be yardmen and maids, immigrants awaiting deportation. They’ve been caught in a law enforcement dragnet known as “Operation Streamline,” a zero tolerance program that began here and has since spread both east and west along the Mexican border.
…
In all of 2007, 22,920 people were apprehended in the Del Rio sector, many of whom passed through the Val Verde jail. In 1974, the oldest year-end figures available, almost twice that many, or 44,806, were caught. They don’t count how many get through, but officials believe fewer captures mean fewer illegal crossings.
“Catch and release” is no longer the norm:
Now the buzz phrase is “catch and detain,” meaning virtually everybody who gets caught is sent to federal court or returned home immediately.
The result has been a logistical and financial burden for the U.S. Department of Justice, which must add attorneys and staff to bring charges against those being held. U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey recently called the burden “staggering.”
Detention facilities have been constructed:
Along with it has come an almost insatiable demand for jail space.
Eight years ago, for example, the Val Verde Correctional Facility had only 180 beds. This year, after completing its second 600-bed expansion, the maximum security jail has room for 1,425 prisoners, an increase of almost 800 percent.
While the state prisoner population has remained flat at about 70 to 80 a day on average, the numbers serving time for immigration and drug offenses have skyrocketed, officials say.
“If it wasn’t for federal prisoners we wouldn’t need any of this. It just wouldn’t be necessary,” Jernigan said during a recent tour of the massive facility he oversees in Del Rio. “This is a federal court city and there’s a need to house federal prisoners here.”
Two brand new prisons specializing in federal detainees are also rising up along the Texas-Mexico border south of here — a 654-bed unit being erected in Eagle Pass and a 1,500-bed jail nearing completion in Laredo.
Like the Val Verde lock-up, the privately-run facilities belong to the Geo Group, Inc., formerly known as Wackenhut, which last year experienced its strongest financial performance ever, the company said.
Even the largest jail for illegal immigrants, the Willacy County Detention Center, was too small to accommodate federal demands. Located in Raymondville, Texas — nicknamed “prisonville” — it’s expanding capacity from 2,000 to 3,000 beds this year, officials say.
Do a Google Yahoo search of “immigration raids” and you’ll find hundreds of stories demonstrating federal officials are attacking the problem from that direction as well.
New border fencing, while progressing painfully slow, has been demonstrated to be very effective.
In my opinion, more has been done to secure the border during the last seven years than the previous 40 years combined. Is the border secure? Of course not. Is Bush responsible for the gains made? Not all of them, and many of the improvements were made with you the voters dragging him (and Congress) kicking and screaming. But to say that the border is less secure since he took office is intellectually dishonest.
Talk amongst yourselves.
Short answer NO.
Long answer Nooooooooooooo!
I heard McAmnesty declare the “the border is now secure”. This is his prerequisite for granting amnesty next.
Are Our Borders Secure?
_____________________________________________
BWAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAA
Sure - They secure the continual invasion of not only militant Mexicans, but the militant Chinese, and the Middle Eastern America haters.
Is that what he said about the situation now or was it from his speech where he was listing what he wants to be able to say in 2012? I got stung by quoting his future desires as the present state.
In my area the border is more secure; however I feel President Bush really was dragged kicking and screaming to do what has been done. Is the border secure? No, because President Bush and other politicians are dragging their feet as much as possible. I would also like to point out that the National Guard in our area has made a difference and they are scheduled to leave soon- even though there is a war across the border.
I don’t give President Bush credit for what has been accomplished on the border issues- I think he has done as little as possible and President Bush did what he did against his will; I give the credit to the Minutemen and others that made sure the word got out about the border so politicians would be forced to act.
Good catch...I think it was his "future" speech.
Thanks
ping
As the socialist agenda continues, and Ramos amd Compean are punished for theie good deeds, I don’t see much of a future for Norte America. We have three socialist/communists waiting to give the country away, they just claim to be running for president. We don’t need to secure our borders till we start getting some of the problems out! We’ve already been invaded! I’d bet more Americans die, or are wounded, at the hands of illegals here in America, than in Iraq.
The article is a truth error mixture.
There are two Border Patrol Sectors that are nearly shut down. The Del Rio Tx. sector, and the Yuma Az. Sector. The end of catch, and release (Operation Streamline,) was first implemented in the Del Rio Sector, then it was started in the Yuma sector a year, and a half ago, it was implemented in the whole Yuma Sector, a year ago. These two sectors cover about 240 miles of border.
Last November Operation Streamline was implemented in the Laredo Sector, and the first of this year it was implemented in the Tucson Az. Sector. I don't know how it is working in the Laredo Sector, but they are having problems in the Tucson Sector, the holding facilitys fall far short of what is needed for the number of IAs being caught, when there is no room for them, it's back to catch and release. I haven't seen anything indicating that Operation Streamline has been implemented in any other sectors.
In answer to the question, are our borders more secure than they were Jan. 19, 2001? No. Some areas have been fairly well secured, in other areas the flow has been slowed slightly.
Let me explain how this works. Two years ago the Yuma Az. sector had the highest apprehension rates, 600 to 800 per day, with that many getting through. In May, 2006 President Bush flew into Yuma for a photo op, to announce that he was putting the Guard on the Border, and the number of BP agents would be expanded, which it has been, the number of BP agents in the sector has tripled since them. In April of 2007 President Bush flew into Yuma for another photo op, he beat his chest, and bragged about the progress made in closing down the border. When he got back to D.C. the push for "Comprehensive Immigration Reform," began.
The Yuma Sector is being used as the showpiece, to show that the border has been closed. Expect McCain to do the same thing.
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