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Cornyn: Need to know who is entering country--U.S. senator hears many views at illegal immigration forum

By BUD CHAMBERS/Staff Reporter
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn told a large Saturday audience in Blinn College's O'Donnell Center that America “is a nation of immigrants Š and better for it,” but that especially since the 9/11 terrorist tragedy “we need to know (precisely) who is coming into our country.”

Then for nearly a full hour following a 15-minute initial talk, Cornyn was bombarded by a 200-person largely tough-on-illegals crowd with strong views who left little doubt “closing the border is a major first priority” and this should be kept fully isolated from other legislative measures.

Cornyn, early on voiced some similar concerns to local businessman and border volunteer Minute Man John Deans along the lines “at least 250,000 people infiltrating U.S. borders in the recent past are from nations other than Mexico, and “terrorist infiltration” is a serious concern.

The first-term U.S. senator - less than four years into his Washington service - also had almost the border-protectionism-intensity of several later questioners when he stressed that a 1986 amnesty for 3 million Mexican immigrants was “supposed never to be repeated” with the U.S. then getting serious about protecting its borders some two decades ago.

Obviously, it didn't work, Cornyn agreed, as best estimates now reveal perhaps 12 million, or more, illegal Mexican immigrants now reside here and “there is a (high dollar value) cottage industry” in fake documents and big fortunes to be made as a “coyote” (smugglers of immigrants into the U.S. illegally).

Cornyn suggested some type of “tamper proof” identification card is needed, and further having just 11,000 U.S. Border Patrol officers guarding 2,000 miles of border is ridiculous - especially when a New York City has 39,000 police officers.

Cornyn, who previously served on the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas Attorney General, also agreed with what many later questioners would stress, “an amnesty for 12 million illegals would be a magnet for millions more to come.”

In an initial round of brief talks by panelists - only Cornyn had unlimited time to speak - state Rep. (and District 18 Sen,-elect) Glenn Hegar and state Rep. Lois Kolkhorst hurriedly made several emphatic points.

Among Hegar's points, he said giving a Mexican with a two-year work permit and then not indicating that limitation on a six-year Texas driver's license is simply inviting people “to remain here illegally.”

Kolkhorst encouraged Cornyn to steer the federal government away from the present policy of providing Medicare/Medicaid health care rights to illegals, terming it a practice “cost billions in Texas.”

County Judge Dorothy Morgan, who noted she had been a teacher for many years, strongly suggested that a lessening of requirements for the new immigrant students to learn English is a foolish course.

“Get real Š (if you want to live in America), learn English,” she said.

When Section One of a total three-hour program - Cornyn departed after 70 minutes, but a near 90-minute panel session continued after a break - reached the question/comment stage, a well-known conservative Pat Elliott led off and stressed, “Seal the border, and seal it now!”

Next, retired teacher Louellen Pledger noted, “Our agents aren't armed to fight a war on drugs Š (they're) bringing drugs across the border is a (big) problem, too."

When most questioners tended to “pile on” the U.S. Congress' attitude concerning such as control of the border, and required benefits to illegals, Cornyn responded, “Don't lump every one of us in that Š there are some of us who are trying to do what's right.”

Kolkhorst also pointed out that the NAFTA legislation, which was geared to produce a strong new middle-class in Mexico, and thus lessening the big problems at the border, “has also taken things in the wrong direction.”

As some new panelists took the stage for part two of the long program, Dr. Donald Draehn - a Brenham pediatrician for 30 years - criticized the many problems of the federal requirement for treating illegals, citing that “you are far more likely to get sued than to ever get paid.”

Emergency rooms, Draehn added, are often unable to properly “serve the needs there” because illegal aliens can practically only be served in that venue as opposed to regular scheduled office care.

Another panelist, retired Army colonel and lawyer Bill Neinast stressed that several of these matters have to be addressed as different problems, namely the work programs; the border drug problems; protecting borders from potential terrorist “who want in” and, finally, “the aliens here now.”

Deans, the Minute Man who has twice spent extended periods working on the U.S.-Mexican border as a volunteer, said “a final stage of training soldiers for Iraq/Afghanistan” could be in Humvees patrolling the borders.