Posted on 08/13/2004 5:26:50 PM PDT by concentric circles
TEMECULA, Calif. - A mobile Border Patrol unit that has arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants in inland cities has been moved closer to the border but could resume interior apprehensions in the future, Homeland Security officials said Friday at an unruly town hall meeting that drew hundreds of people who strongly support the enforcement operations.
Deputy U.S. Border Patrol Chief Paul Blocker, who is in charge of the mobile unit, told reporters after the public meeting that the 12-member team is working in southern San Diego County, close to the boundary between the United States and Mexico, because the agency's top priority right now is to prevent terrorists from entering the country.
"We're going to concentrate on our priority mission," Blocker said, denying allegations from the union that represents Border Patrol agents that the mobile unit has been sidelined.
The mobile unit, based out of the Temecula station, in June made a series of high-profile mass arrests more than 50 miles from the border, sparking fear in immigrant communities and provoking outrage among Latino activists and politicians who accused the agents of racial profiling. The operations also drew strong support among opponents of illegal immigration.
In response to the complaints, Undersecretary of Homeland Security Asa Hutchinson later said the arrests of more than 400 illegal immigrants, mostly from Mexico, in such inland cities as Ontario, Corona and Fallbrook were legal but violated department policy because they were done without prior authorization from headquarters.
Since that time, the unit has not made any large-scale arrests in the inland cities, union leaders said. "Our opinion is that the mobile patrol group is not doing what it did before because of political pressure," said Christopher J. Bauder, executive vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613.
At the town hall meeting organized by Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from Vista, Hutchinson said the mobile unit would continue to exist but he declined to provide details and deflected appeals from the audience to expand its operations and make more arrests in the inland cities where illegal immigrants have long found refuge.
The focus of the country's 11,000 Border Patrol agents, Hutchinson said, would be guarding the frontiers with Mexico and Canada, though the agency also assists Immigrations and Customs Enforcement with its increased interior enforcement efforts.
"We have to rely on the good men and women of the Border Patrol to protect our country, and the border is the most essential and important part of that," he said, as he was drowned out by shouts and catcalls from an audience of more than 800, many of whom came to the meeting in a middle school auditorium at the urging of a local radio station.
At several points, Issa, who said a poll of his district showed overwhelming support for the mobile unit's arrests, pleaded with the audience to allow Hutchinson to speak without interruption.
The undersecretary drew the sharpest response when he defended immigrants and rejected racial profiling.
"Most of them work hard. They love their families and they strive for a better life ...," he said, before he was drowned out by the crowd. He drew cheers when he noted that many illegal immigrants live in fear of deportation.
"What we are not going to do is to cause people who are legally here in this country to live in fear because of racial profiling," he said to another chorus of boos. "The challenge before us is to honor the law and not change the character of America."
Asa is getting the crap kicked out of him lately.
They probably have to get Hutchinson's authorization to take a crap.
Asa, taking it on the chin for the new world order. What a warrior!
Good. Maybe he can go home and explain to the big boys how we feel about illegal criminal invaders.
LOL, he sounds like a LULAC spokesman.
The hispanic loudmouths better wake up and vote for Bush. The al qaeda sneaking over the border intend to blow their ass away along with the rest of us.
Wow! That's really good compost!
I got news for you, Asa -- you and your boss are playing right into the hands of people who reject the concept of assimilation, which gave America the character that made it a great nation. The ones that are coming from the southern border are not coming to become Americans -- they are nationalists looking at this country as a workplace -- a jobsite they endlessly suggest is filled with bigots, and where they feel isolated and unwelcome, but that they endure because the money's so much better than in the godforsaken land from which they came.
I live in San Francisco, where the city government has begun a move toward letting non-citizens vote in school board elections. The lefties that run this city like to pretend that if such a measure succeeds, it won't send a message that if enough immigrants crash the streets, they'll be running the show. What's going to happen if they voter-bloc their way to a majority, and advocate multilingual education, which is deterimental to assimilation?
"Homeland Security officials said Friday at an unruly town hall meeting that drew hundreds of people who strongly support the enforcement operations. "
They should have arrested and checked out all those folks.
My guess is the bulk of them were illegals themselves.
Since when does one punk town meeting dictate foreign policy to the American government?
ping
He deserves it. I've been listening to his answers at the rally today, and it's clear he's not prepared to do squat.
It's good to see that expressing ones self at a public meeting is still in vogue. Hutchinson must have thought he would be safe in Temecula, which is miles from anywhere. It's hard to imagine drawing a crowd of nearly a thousand citizens, expressing passionate opinions, to any meeting at all any more. Maybe there's a little life left in the republic after all.
Except their own country doesn't really provide much evidence for this --- how many of the thousands of street children you see in Mexico begging for their living, sleeping on the floor of bus stations or where ever they find a place that allows them, are the abandoned children of people who left them to seek money?
They should have arrested and checked out all those folks.
My guess is the bulk of them were illegals themselves.
Since when does one punk town meeting dictate foreign policy to the American government?
Perhaps I've misunderstood your post, but the hundreds there at the meeting are in favor of the border sweeps and in favor of border enforcement.
WHOOOOOPSS!!
I misread what the response was all about.
Sorry.
I misread the post.
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
Courtesy of John & Ken, who many on this forum are deriding instead of applauding.
J&K are getting it done!
If the government doesn't allow sweeps and do this job, there could be eventual violence from the public.
They sound mighty fed up to me.
I believe you deserve the award for most outstanding post today, as that was excellently put.
The common people are becoming aware of just how bad the problem has grown. They don't seem very eager to embrace multiculturalism when it packs local housing, increases crime and undercuts their wages. It's not all fiestas and pinatas like the op-eds lead you to believe, is it folks?
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