Posted on 08/12/2005 4:06:05 PM PDT by general_re
Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday declared an emergency in four New Mexico counties along the border, an action that lets him free up money to be spent on everything from fighting drug smuggling to fencing a livestock yard.
The executive order, issued after Richardson toured the area around Columbus, makes $750,000 immediately available to Dona Ana, Luna, Grant and Hidalgo counties. He pledged an additional $1 million.
The money will aid state and area law enforcement efforts, fund a field office for the state Office of Homeland Security and help build a fence to protect a Columbus-area livestock yard where a number of cattle have been killed or stolen.
Richardson's declaration said law enforcement officials have used all available resources to help with border security. But those efforts haven't alleviated the situation, which he said "constitutes an emergency condition with potentially catastrophic consequences."
"Recent developments have convinced me this action is necessary _ including violence directed at law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling and an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants," he said.
He also ordered the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to work with the state Livestock Board to assess the safety of livestock in the region.
The funds include nearly $50,000 for an 11-foot, razor wire-topped security fence around the stockyards. It will replace a shorter, barbed-wire fence that Richardson said "is so full of holes and gaps that trucks and people can cross with no control."
The new fence will help prevent cattle from Mexico straying across the border, officials said.
"We don't want contagious diseases to contaminate our food supply and disrupt our agricultural economy," Richardson said in a statement before his trip.
Daniel Manzanares, executive director of the Livestock Board, said at least 100 cattle from Mexico have been found in the area. The agency hasn't traced any outbreaks of disease to Mexican cattle, but Manzanares said he suspects some have carried bovine tuberculosis into New Mexico.
The current state of the stockyard fence means people have been able to illegally enter the country as well.
"We definitely have concerns about biosecurity and agroterrorism," said Tim Manning, New Mexico's homeland security adviser.
This is one issue where yelling about it can help because it may actually inspire both parties to try to outdo each other in being toughest on illegal immigration. That will take some time, but it can happen if it's perceived as an issue people are worried about, and are willing to toss votes to whichever party does the best job.
BTTT!
How does a $50,000 fence, designed to protect someones private property, going to keep people from getting across.?
50K don't build THAT much 11 foot razerwire topped fence.
Dems are in bed with illegals.
Check out the votes on increasing border agents in the u.s senate and increasing detainee beds almost all dems voted against it.
Dems in the senate voted for amnesty for illegal farm workers republicans voted against it.
The dem governor of arizona is working against the citizens of the state by vetoing inititives passed by the voters.
Right ON! It's about time this was done. I should hope he'll call out the National Guard on the border as well. It's about time this invasion was put to an end and it's obvious that the people in Washington have sold us out long ago.
Good points. Which means this is an area the GOP can score if they get their act together and do what's right. Yet I fear they are too eager to win over some Hispanic votes.
They will pay for it with the new school zone camera program being instituted in Albuquerque shortly.
ping
ping
Dems are in bed with illegals.
------
Of course they are. They are ALWAYS in bed with any downside fringe group that will vote for them.
The problem is the Repubs ARE DOING NOTHING to materially stop the problem and close the borders --- just voting on some issue DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM.
A lot are stepping up the plate.
Kilgore the va governor candidate is good on this issue, so is tancredo, sensennbrenner, duncan hunter, delay just made some good comments.
Our nominee in 08 will be tough on illegals the party will demand it.
Ping list?
Any chance there is a yearly allotment of 12 billion to pay for our illegals in California?
I hope you have a very valid reason for deleting the previous post on this subject.
Duncan Hunter the rep from southern california is trying to extend the small fence now and fortify it for the whole southern california border.
The dem rep in the adjacent district is using the enviornmental argument against the fence.
Makes perfect sense that he'd only declare an emergency if it let him get his hands on money.
Sure you are.
Which is pretty stupid of them, when you consider that many Hispanic Americans are just as angry (if not angrier) about illegal immigration as us gringos. I would be mad, too, if I had waited in line, and for years to get citizenship, ect., while these punks sneak across the border and have my hard-earned tax dollars practically thrown in their laps.
It doesn't make me feel any better if I'm paying for illegals from my right pocket or from my left pocket. I don't want to pay from either pocket.
Positioning for potential VP nod?
Like you said on the thread that was mysteriously killed by the mods, he is most likely doing it for political reasons as well.
Of course now Democrat Bill Richardson, the former Bill Clinton Energy Secretary will be the newest hero for many on Free Republic just like Hillary was when said said "immigration is an important issue".
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
That is what I suggested in the thread the mods nuked. It is that or else he is planning on running for President.
"Only Nixon could go to China..."
A bonafide liberal Hispanic Democrat that gets serious about border security could be unstoppable in 2008.
Richardson certainly is no "hero." And, I'm sure, he's doing this with ulterior political motives. But, this will get the message out to many that there IS a problem to be dealt with. Shame Bush is on the wrong side of the issue.
The only reason I can think of is that this thread has a source whereas the other one did not. It was a bummer though, 'cause the first thread had over 50 posts on it when it got killed. Maybe it should have just been locked.
Yup. I wish the republicans would think about how non-whites voted for English in the schools--that was a major story which (no surprise) vanished, like it was an anomaly and no one wanted to discuss it.
The thread was pulled, IMO, because it was hyperbolic, leaving out that this is just an adminstrative move that means little, other than to get so called "true conservatives" on the monica interviewer and chinagate figure, bill richardon bandwagon.
Deep...:-)
woot!
It's more than the people in Washington are doing, so I don't think it means as little as some would like.
Better that something is done than nothing. And all we're getting from Washington is a whole lotta nothing.
Yeah really, the Kyl/Cornyn bill that will be debated next month is nothing.(rolling eyes)
They are too intimidated by radicals (like La Raza) and the money behind them to risk their cushy job. It's disgusting.
But is isn't Tancredo's idea so it is really stealth amnesty. /FR Tancredo Worshipers Mode
Oh yeah...debating bills really helps. That really does something!
Ever hear the phrase "Too little, too late"?
Mess with a few cows out on the range . . . ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!
=============================================
Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday declared an emergency in four New Mexico counties along the border, an action that lets him free up money to be spent on everything from fighting drug smuggling to fencing a livestock yard.The executive order, issued after Richardson toured the area around Columbus, makes $750,000 immediately available to Dona Ana, Luna, Grant and Hidalgo counties. He pledged an additional $1 million.
The money will aid state and area law enforcement efforts, fund a field office for the state Office of Homeland Security and help build a fence to protect a Columbus-area livestock yard where a number of cattle have been killed or stolen.
Ever hear the phrase "Too little, too late"?
Ever hear of chicken little.
Yo Dane. What did you think about all that fuss in Carlsbad yesterday?
Yo, happy, nothing wrong with people exercising their 1st amendment rights.
But nice try to stir some contorversy.
I hate to be cynical, but Richardson is on everybody's short list for democratic VP for 2008. I wonder if that has anything to do with all of the theatrics.
Hey dane, you've been pinged multiple times to the thread below...how come you havent participated? ;)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1461817/posts?q=1&&page=1#1
lol, I just asked him the same question in post #44 ;)
Many times a politician will 'run' for the Presidency, hoping to make enough of a splash to get the nod for VP, or at least be short listed. I put Richardson in that classification.
He knows who the next Dem candidate will be.
Obies? Hate to display my ignorance for all to see, but what does that mean?
I would have liked to have read : The new fence will help prevent illegal aliens from Mexico straying across the border, officials said.
Ah, gotcha. :) Thanks for explaining it for me.
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