Federal officials pressured to tighten border crossings under outbreak

Dallas Morning News ^ | April 30, 2009 | Jim Landers

[La Lydia]

WASHINGTON – Pressure mounted on federal officials Wednesday to tighten health screening or even close border crossings with Mexico to stem the spread of a new strain of influenza. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, who is a physician, said the federal government should close the border "to the extent that you can. Our surveillance needs to be a lot tighter than I hear it is right now," Burgess said. "I'm very concerned with the way this is developing. I'd much rather be criticized for doing too much than not enough..."

The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus...mixes genetic material from humans, swine and birds. Because it has never been seen before, virus hunters fear that there is no immunity to the disease and that it may easily spread around the world. The CDC has issued a travel warning to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico. Some countries where the new influenza virus has not yet appeared, such as Cuba, are halting flights with Mexico, and several Asian countries are using thermal screening devices to identify travelers who might have a fever.

Members of Congress are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to strengthen border medical checks. Napolitano said she would keep checking with medical experts, but that closing the border would cause "huge economic disruptions" without any medical benefits...But in a national health emergency, and when the Mexican government itself is limiting public gatherings to try to curb the spread of the disease, many lawmakers and their constituents are pressing for stronger border measures....

[La Lydia]

Let's see now, we won't close the border for a flu the government describes as "pandemic," we won't close the border because of narco-violence, we won't close the border because 15 percent or more of the Mexican population now lives here. I have come to conclusion that if terrorists entered the country illegally from Mexico and nuked an American city, we STILL wouldn't close the border. I know we cannot close and seal it, but we could close the ports of entry, deploy more manpower where there is no fence, and at least improve a bad situation.

[Sybeck1]

That’s racist... (sarc))))

[truemiester]

Closing our boders would be like the toll booth in Blazing Saddles.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

No No! Operating at its usual level of efficiency, the Federal Government will make it impossible to go to Canada. All traffic will be stopped, bridges will be blown. And in a related move the fence between Mexico and the US will be abandoned and systematically removed (because Mexicans are cheap labor and vote for the Democrats).

[One_American]

Members of Congress are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to strengthen border medical checks.

Manet Napolitano will not close the border with Mexico. The special interest groups she is beholden to do not want that. Who cares what is best for the American people.

[La Lydia]

Your comment does not "bode" well. The ports of entry could be closed. No reason why not, except political expediency.

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/newsroom/highlights/fence_map.ctt/fence_map.pdf

[devane617]

As much as I am opposed to illegals coming across the border, to close it completely will be an almost impossible task. I suspect we would have large coordinated efforts to storm the border from the south. When that happens, what do you do? Shoot them? I doubt it. I think closing the border will create a situation that will be hard to deal with. I am not implying that we cannot, or should not, stop flights, etc. I am referring to the physical border crossings.

[truemiester]

I was referring to the movie “Blazing Saddles” where, in order to slow down the band of cutthroats,they set up a toll booth in the desert. All by its self. where they could easily go around.

The toll booth was a metaphor for the government closing the border by closing the crossing stations. Leaving the wide open spaces for illegals to walk across.

sorry for the confusion.

[La Lydia]

I got your reference. But did you look at the map? It would be impossible to seal the border completely, but the tallest, most daunting fence is on either side of the ports of entry. The one in California is formidable. We could cut cross-border activity by more than 50 percent by merely closing the ports of entry.There is fence in place everywhere but the boondocks of Texas. I know this sounds cold, but...illegal border crosses who are infected would have a very difficult time crossing the desert in the few places where there is no aerial surveillance, no ground surveillance, no BP and no fence. They would be walking across desert mountain ranges, for instance, south of Presidio, where it took a rescue crew two days to go 60 miles in SUVs and all-terrain vehicles.

[zeugma]

I suspect we would have large coordinated efforts to storm the border from the south. When that happens, what do you do? Shoot them?

Yes. That's what is normally done to invaders of a country. 

[HiJinx]

By all means, please do make increased efforts to seal the border!

This is one of those cases where the ends truly do justify the means. IMHO, of course.