Posted on 05/17/2006 3:35:29 AM PDT by billorites
ON DEC. 17, 2004, President Bush signed the National Intelligence Reform Act, which, among other things, required that the federal government hire 2,000 new Border Patrol agents a year for five years, starting in 2006. In the 2006 budget Bush proposed, he funded exactly 210 Border Patrol agents. That single act is a more accurate reflection of his border security priorities than his Monday night speech.
Under President Bush, the number of Border Patrol agents has risen to just over 12,000. But the agency has become much less effective. In 1995, the Border Patrol arrested more than 1.3 million illegals. In 2005, it had more than twice as many agents but arrested fewer than 1.2 million illegals, USA Today reported last month. Agents say that is because they have been ordered literally to stay in their positions along the border and not chase down aliens.
Bush cares about enforcing immigration laws only to the extent that doing so helps him politically, hence his Monday night speech. If he were truly interested in securing the border, he would have done so before now.
The key to securing the country’s borders is enforcing current laws against hiring illegal aliens. Go after the employers, dry up the job market for illegals, and the ocean of border jumpers will shrink to a stream, freeing Homeland Security to concentrate on preventing terrorists and criminals from sneaking in.
Sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border is a sham designed to make the President appear tough. It is a poor use of our already overtaxed Guard, and it comes just before hurricane season, when Guard troops who are not in Iraq or Afghanistan will be needed to help with disaster relief.
If the President really believed in controlling immigration, he would not pay lip service to border security while pushing new laws that will encourage more to skip across the border illegally.
Bush has turned into Bill Clinton with an (R) after his name in so many ways. To hell with the stinkin polls. Just do the right thing.
Yep, do what's right and, given time, the polls will catch up. It's called courageous leadership.
"Sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border is a sham"
That's 6,000 *over 12 months*, which is also the duration of the program, if you listened to the speech carefully.
Put them on 1 month rotations (quite probable and actually reasonable), and that's 500 per month.
This article is absolutely correct. Except that it is ALL of the DC Establishment that is supportive of an open border with Mexico.
They want to create a Hemisphere wide Free Trade Zone that will morph into something very much like the European Union.
That can also be phrased to say that due to more effective border control, arrest of illegals is down since 1995.
If they can't cross, they can't be arrested.
There will be a full-time cadre of some unknown size, what National Guard Bureau Chief LTG Steven Blum calls a "continuity force," to which other Guardsmen with specific skills will be added to complete tasking set by Homeland Security and the Border Patrol.
At this point, it looks like the number and duration of service is task dependent. Since mid-June is cited as the probable kick off date, we ought to know some specifics pretty darn quick (I hope)
We've seen Dubya do that in the past, but I don't think we'll see it here. He's made up his mind.
I'm sure I'll catch hell for this but I don't think the president meant any of the speech on monday night.
Before the flames pour in......I've seen it from almost every freeper here that post regularly.
"Dubya, is at his best when he speaks his mind and believes what he says", and their right
On monday though , I saw a man without alot of passion, hollow eyes and thats Dubya being forced to say something he doesn't believe or want. He's a smart man that knows what he wants and when his hand is forced he doesn't like it and he can't hide it.
Thats why I think what was said on monday was just lip service and we will get cooked numbers and more of the same old policy if not an increase in illegals.
Thats my honest opinion of where we are at.
Spend way to much of my money, enlarge govt. beyond necessity, and fail to seal my borders and fail to throw out those here illegally.
Fail to secure my vote.
"That can also be phrased to say that due to more effective border control, arrest of illegals is down since 1995."
The arrest has no meaning if they are deported and infiltrate at will. One does not solve the problem of a breached dam by filling cups with water 20 miles downstream and then pouring the water back into the lake that is behind the dam.
Don't know where you guys studied government, but the President doesn't get to fund anything - if underfunding of the project is the issue, perhaps it might be a good idea to look at those that control the purse strings in the Congress.......
I agree completely. I don't believe a word he says re immigration, & I'm starting to question his truthfulness in other areas - Iraq, Israel, & especially oil.
I don't recall saying anything about funding.
And with four shifts, they're down to 125 at any given time.
=========================================
You said:" That can also be phrased to say that due to more effective border control, arrest of illegals is down since 1995.
If they can't cross, they can't be arrested"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you have data showing that fewer are crossing please share it....I am sure that we will all be surprised and thankful.
6,000 NG over 12 months ("up to 6,000 Guard members will be deployed ...would last for a period of one year.") <= (less than or equal to) 125 per shift at any given time covering a 2,000 mile border and supplementing 12,000 F/T Border Patrol employees.
I think that about nails it.
Smoke and mirrors.
I don't recall saying anything about funding, either. While controlling the purse strings is important, it is not required for showing leadership on an issue (especially if you're the President).
If you have data showing that fewer are crossing please share it....I am sure that we will all be surprised and thankful.
Since 9-11, there have been many closings of border crossings in Texas and $10,000 fines (applied to citizens and non-citizens) have been mandated for using these crossings. I don't have a source but, I've seen the ones around Big Bend National Park.
Well then, do you think it might have been at least prudent to mention that GWB's 12 million "guest worker visas" must be processed by the CIS/INS, which is conventionally known on Capitol Hill as not only "broken", but as "the worst agency in the federal government" (stated to me personally by several Congressional staffers and State Dept. visa lawyers).
Do you think GWB might have mentioned that adding 12 million visas to a CIS system that cannot handle its existing 2-4 million application workload might somehow introduce a few problems, and that to be even at parity, the CIS budget might have to increase five-fold?
All unanswered questions. But even worse, questions that the DC immigration cabal does not even want you to know about.
That's the kicker! ...or maybe I should have said kickback?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.