Posted on 08/10/2004 6:04:26 PM PDT by neverdem
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 — Citing concerns about terrorists crossing the nation's land borders, the Department of Homeland Security announced today that it planned to give border patrol agents sweeping new powers to deport illegal aliens from the frontiers abutting Mexico and Canada without providing the aliens the opportunity to make their case before an immigration judge.
The move, which will take effect this month, represents a broad expansion of the authority of the thousands of law enforcement agents who currently patrol the nation's borders. Until now, border patrol agents typically delivered undocumented immigrants to the custody of the immigration courts, where judges determined whether they should be deported or remain in the United States.
Homeland Security officials described the immigration courts — which hear pleas for asylum and other appeals to remain in the country — as sluggish and cumbersome, saying illegal immigrants often wait more than a year before being deported, straining the capacity of detention centers and draining critical resources. Under the new system, immigrants will typically be deported within eight days of their apprehension, officials said.
Immigration legislation passed in 1996 allows the immigration service to deport certain groups of illegal aliens without judicial oversight, but until now the agency only permitted officials at the nation's airports and seaports to do so. The new rule will apply to illegal aliens caught within 100 miles of the Mexican and Canadian borders who have spent 14 days or less within the United States. The border agents will focus on deporting third-country nationals, rather than Mexicans or Canadians, and they are expected to begin exercising their new powers on Aug. 24 in Tucson and Laredo, Tex.
"There is a concern that as we tighten the security of our ports of entry through our biometric checks that there will be more opportunity or more effort made by terrorists to enter our country through our vast land borders," Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary for border security at the Department of Homeland Security, said at a news conference.
"We recognize that we have to secure those and that's the president's first principle of immigration reform," Mr. Hutchinson said. "America must secure its borders and this is a part of that effort."
The decision was hailed by officials who have long complained that the nation's porous borders represent a serious threat to national security. But it prompted a flurry of criticism from advocates for immigrants who warned that the new system lacked adequate safeguards to ensure that people fleeing persecution, American citizens lacking paperwork or other travelers with legitimate grounds would not be improperly deported.
Mr. Hutchinson said that border agents would be trained on asylum law and that immigrants who demonstrated a credible fear of persecution would be sent to see immigrant judges, not returned to hostile governments. "That right," he said of the right to apply for asylum, "is very important."
But Homeland Security officials provided little details about the training, and advocates said that they feared that mistakes would be made when border agents decide who will be deported and who will not, often in the vast, inhospitable plains of the southern deserts.
Beat me to it - Drudge is running the headline now. Looks like the RNC got my letter LOL.
From time to time, I’ll post or ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. Let me know if you want off my list.
Makes me wonder, do they now have power to return fire?
ABOUT TIME.....
The "except for Mexicans" is a hole big enough through which to herd a million illegals a year.
The Times wrote the same title as Rueters with its own byline.
Spackidagoosh,
I asked the admin moderator to run your post as breaking news, but I didn't see any response.
We already have an average of one guard per 1/5th mile of Southern border, but they are spending most of their time processing people who just want to come here to do our dirtiest lowest paying jobs.
Something stinks about this story. Bush is in Vicente Fox's back pocket and has resisted any move to enforce the immigration laws or secure the borders. Fox has routinely pushed illegals across our border and has pressured Bush to pretend that we don't have a southern border.
I'm very susicious of this. I think it's a plant to make us think that the administration is actually going to do something about illegal immigration when, in fact, I don't think they are.
Hutchinson is supposed to be in CA Friday to talk about the stoppage of sweeps of Mexical illegals. We'll see what he says. But this doesn't address the Mexicans at the border, and illegals living illegally.
Yup, this article almost fooled me on first glance. We sure don't want get Vincente mad at us, do we?
It is about time. One small step in a lot of steps that need to be taken to tighten the borders both by land and by sea.
"One small step in a lot of steps that need to be taken to tighten the borders both by land and by sea."
Yes, I agree, at least this is a step in the right direction.
Folks, I'm not sure if you realize this or not, but a number of the middle-eastern people who are coming through Mexico have been given Mexican style clothes and appear to be Mexicans. If they keep their mouths shut, who will know if they are Mexican or not? Not knowing, are we really assured they INS (or whatever) will deport those folks to the middle-east?
LOL, how gullible to they think we are? Asa still refuses to allow inland apprehensions in populated areas.
This is all about smoke and mirrors. Remember, any police department of municipality can opt out of these programs, just as LA now refuses to even ask a person's status, or take them into custody for the INS.
We have laws on the books today that are supposed to stop illegal immigration dead in it's tracks. Does it?
Asa is leading you folks down the primrose path. Don't sucker for it.
Fix illegal immigration accross the board today, and quit f---ing with us, you a--holes in D.C.
Sounds like a plan to ticket all speeders, except drivers who have been exceeding the speed limit for more than 14 minutes.
"How long have you been in the country?"
"15 days"
"Okay, we'll put you you through the same old inefficient system we always use then."
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