Posted on 05/08/2003 8:31:16 PM PDT by JackelopeBreeder
(Milady madfly passed this to me; I tried to clean up the BabbleFish translation before posting.)
Hispanic and human rights organizations in the United States condemned the anti-immigrant American Border Patrol (ABP) for its illegal use of a spy airplane to remotely detect undocumented people in Arizona.
"It is completely illegal that private groups use the airspace for functions exclusively reserved to US authorities", Katherine Culliton, lawyer for Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Foundation (MALDEF) said to Notimex.
The defender of immigrant rights also condemned that ABP plans to use that type of technology to catch undocumented people instead of using it to save human lives in the desert during the season of extreme heat that is approaching in the region.
Arizona recently became the main entry way into the United States for undocumented people, and the last year registered the greatest amount of deaths of immigrants in all the country.
Culliton’s comments followed the successful test of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (without crew) which ABP will use to detect undocumented people in the region.
According to Glenn Spencer, director of ABP, the small UAV was christened “Border Hawk” and is equipped with a camera that transmits video images through a satelite signal to earth monitors.
The UAV measures a meter in length and two meters wingspan and can reach speeds of almost 65 kilometros per hour, as well as an approximate altitude of 100 meters. Its gasoline tanks allow it to fly 90 minutes without refueling.
According to the group, based in Sierra Vista, Arizona, the aircraft will be used by ABP to detect undocumented people along the border in Arizona and their locations tipped off to the Border Patrol for apprehension.
Isabel Garcia, cofounder of the Coalition of Human rights of Arizona agreed that the use of the UAV by ABP to try to catch immigrants would break US laws that allow only competent authorities to use the airspace with police aims.
Also, that if the ABP aircraft enters Mexican territory without authorization to conduct its operations, this would break Mexican and international laws on intrusion into the airspace of sovereign nations, creating a possible international incident.
On the other hand the director of policy and legislation of Liga de United Latin American Ciudadanos (LULAC), main Hispanic organization in the United States, Gabriela Lemus, condemned the use by ABP of the UAV.
"This new action by ABP is worrisome in that it contributes to promote hatred and racism against immigrants in the region" indicated Lemus when indicating that the US government has the obligation to prevent it.
It should be remembered that while the United States does not make a reform of its migratory laws that allow to regularize undocumented people in the country and to create a program of working guests, enormous flows of illegal immigration will continue entering by the South border.
ABP has operated in Arizona since last year as a non-profit organization and free of taxes.
ABP looks to educate the US on what they consider the "invasion" of the country by Mexican undocumented people with support of the government of Mexico, and the threat that those immigrants represent to the security of the United States.
The private group is considered antiimmigrant by detractors, who have asked for federal and state authorities to investigate it along with other groups that operate in Arizona, including some of vigilantes who use arms to stop undocumented people.
The aircraft tests by ABP has caused an increasing interest by the authorities and US legislators on the possible use of unmanned spy airplanes like "Predator", as used in the recent attack on Iraq, to watch the border with Mexico and Canada.
ABP has indicated that it believes the successful test of their UAV will help persuade US authorities to adopt that type of technology to watch the border.
Some officials who have supported the use of the Predator in the border, are the undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Asa Hutchinson; Senators John McCain and John Warner; and Colorado Congressman, Tom Tancredo.
Pete Domenici, Senator from New Mexico joined that group this week in supporting the initiative and to ask for the Secretary of DHS, Tom Ridge, to designate the airport at Las Cruces, New Mexico, as a possible base for Predators that operate in the South border.
The Border Patrol considers that the use of the UAV for its functions is unnecessary, because they count on a flotilla of small planes and manned helicopters that allow them to carry out their work.
They argue that when they have required use of those vehicles they have resorted to the US military for support, as happened recently in Idaho, where border guards managed to confiscate a drug shipment with the help of a UAV from the Army.
Other detractors of the use of UAVs in border areas assure that they are less reliable than the manned aircraft and show statistics that for each accident by a manned aircraft, the UAVs suffer ten.
In addition, they insist that they could violate civil rights of US citizens that reside in the border area if they are used to spy on them and not to only watch undocumented people.
Terra/Notimex
Second, this is an economically motivated crime. (Ok .. ok.. most crimes are economically motivated.) An economic deterrent will solve the problem. How 'bout this: $1,000 fine and 6 months in jail for the first offense, $50,000 fine and 1 year in jail for the second offense, and $100,000 fine and 5 years in jail for every succeeding offense. For "jail", create a "tent city" penitentiary in the Arizona desert. Nothing cruel. Make it bearable, but not easy or fun. Give them some education for their first term, but upon succeeding offenses, send them to a chain gang to experience hard labor.
Cruel? Mean? Not at all. It's a DETERRANT! There will not be recidivism if there is no profit in the crime. Right now, we're "winking" at the illegal aliens, shipping them back home within 24 hours of arrival in the U.S., and in effect telling them:
At the same time, I think we need to maintain a healthy work-visa system, i.e. not the no-limits system of the Tech Industry H1B give away, nor restrictions that harm the U.S. economy, and remove all hope from our friends across the border.
The current system is a joke ... a DANGEROUS joke. The U.S. needs to control it's borders to defend American citizens.
Immigrants are those that enter our country with valid visas. They are defending people who are breaking US laws. It is amazing the number of times these "defenders" cite what they call "illegal" activities of those working to stop illegal activity. Who decides which parts of the law they obey and which parts they break?
Shades of 1984!
Yep, and it is completely illegal that our gubmint will do nothing about the illegal border crossings too.
if the ABP aircraft enters Mexican territory without authorization to conduct its operations, this would break Mexican and international laws on intrusion into the airspace of sovereign nations, creating a possible international incident.
Yep, and the illegal invasion of our borders by moochers and drug runners has already created an international incident—and you’re complaining about what an airplane might do?
Don't come here illegally and there won't be a problem
In other words, it is, in their opinion, illegal to use the Global Hawk to spy on people breaking into the USA???
Why can't they just stay in their own countries?
LOL...What are the Mexicans going to do about it? What can they do? Threaten to oppose us in the UN? Oh that's right, they already do that consistently. Allow Islamic terrorists to have a convenient base from which they can attack the U.S.? Oh yeah, they do that as well. Encourage their crimminals to come across the border (illegallly) and clog our jails? Again, old news.
It will never work.
Were in the desert will you house the millions of detained illegal aliens?
How will you collect the fines?
How much taxpayer money will be sunk into this pit? It is not cheap to feed several million people 3 meals a day.
If Jose Doe cannot send money back to the family in Mexico, AND loses what he made working illegally in the U.S. due to forfeiture, he'll chose to try his luck on the Mexican economy before blowing through the U.S. judicial system again.
No he won’t. He’ll just keep trying until he gets through. You have not taken away what he is trying to obtain. It’s been proven time and time again.
At the same time, I think we need to maintain a healthy work-visa system,
We have one, but most US employers would rather save money by hiring illegal aliens.
Maybe Uncle Neil will lend you his RV for HQ.
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