Thread: Analysis: Obama border security move has political angle

Analysis: Obama border security move has political angle

May 07, 2009, 7:50 a.m.
SUZANNE GAMBOA
The Associated Press

President Barack Obama has done what many critics of immigration reform wanted — put border security first.

Obama sent more investigative agents to the border, poured money into upgrading ports of entry and targeted traffickers who smuggle in people and drugs, then smuggle out guns and cash.

Shifting the focus away from those who come to the U.S. illegally in search of work, he planted it squarely on criminals who foment violence in Mexico and kidnap and kill inside the United States.

Obama hopes those moves will gain him leverage in dealing with the thorniest part of immigration reform: creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But will his gambit work?

In three tries in three years, Congress has failed to pass an immigration bill, mainly due to opponents' vague insistence on "border security first." No one has said who and what will determine that the border is secure, but the mantra provides clever cover for an unwillingness to deal with the nearly 12 million people living in the U.S. illegally.

Last week, Obama hinted he's aware of that.

"If the American people don't feel like you can secure the borders," he told reporters, "then it's hard to strike a deal that would get people out of the shadows and on a pathway to citizenship who are already here, because the attitude of the average American is going to be, 'Well, you're just going to have hundreds of thousands of more coming in each year."'

There is no comprehensive immigration bill moving through Congress so far this session, although there are several bills dealing with various aspects of the issue. In his 2010 budget proposal, Obama plans to ask Congress to provide $27 billion to beef up border enforcement and security.

Under Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, nearly 670 miles of fence and barriers went up on the U.S.-Mexico border. The Border Patrol was doubled to about 18,000 agents. The immigration agency's Fugitive Operations Teams saw its budget soar from $9 million in 2003 to $218 million in 2008.

Thousands of people were arrested in crackdowns on employers and in raids of private homes. Nearly 350,000 immigrants, a record, were deported. It took billions of dollars to create jail space to house those awaiting deportation. Thousands of employers began using an immigration database to check whether the people they've hired can legally work in the U.S.

Still, Bush's record doesn't satisfy a main congressional critic, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

"It's not enough," Cornyn said, pointing out that the number of border agents pales in comparison with, say, New York City's police force, which has nearly 40,000 officers.

Obama has been building on Bush's work. He said he wants to take a more thoughtful approach to enforcement than, as he put it, "just raids of a handful of workers." His administration is concentrating on companies that recruit undocumented workers who may be depressing U.S. wages, but won't ignore people working illegally at those businesses.

He hasn't given in to the demands of some of his strongest supporters — immigration advocates and Latinos — for a moratorium on workplace raids. He's also made Mexico's drug violence a high priority for the Homeland Security Department.

"It's been clear since Janet Napolitano became secretary, the border enforcement is not going to weaken one iota," said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book "The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11. "She has not backed off any of the significant border measures put in place by the previous administration."

Some immigration opponents warn that Obama is shifting enforcement from cracking down on illegal immigration in the U.S. to helping Mexico with a problem it should be solving itself.

Concerns over Mexico's drug violence and its spillover into the U.S. make it tough to criticize Obama's efforts. It's difficult to argue that the U.S. should be spending money arresting hotel maids and day laborers while drug dealers and gun traffickers are on the loose.

After the release of the department's raid guidelines, one of the harshest immigration reform critics, Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, said he was cautiously optimistic.

So for now, Obama can show he's at least made an attempt to placate the critics.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/116046.php

Obama hopes those moves will gain him leverage in dealing with the thorniest part of immigration reform

Hell no! You are not going to hand me a plate of crap and tell me it's on a silver platter and smells good.

Dixie

"It's been clear since Janet Napolitano became secretary, the border enforcement is not going to weaken one iota," said Edward Alden

You've got to be kidding me! This is comical.

"It's been clear since Janet Napolitano became secretary, the border enforcement is not going to weaken one iota," said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book "The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11. "She has not backed off any of the significant border measures put in place by the previous administration."

Notice how Alden talks like he's a member of Obama's cabinet? Why in the hell does he know the inside details of DHS?

Dixie

Obama hopes those moves will gain him leverage in dealing with the thorniest part of immigration reform: creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But will his gambit work?

Of course, that's his plan. No, it won't work, we don't trust you nor most in our Congress. Amnesty...been there done that....on and on it goes!

"It's been clear since Janet Napolitano became secretary, the border enforcement is not going to weaken one iota," said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book "The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11. "She has not backed off any of the significant border measures put in place by the previous administration."

This is the woman who gave work permits to the illegals arrested during the raid in Washington state which made her so angry. This is also the woman who said that the 9-11 terrorists entered the United States from Canada!

It also won't help unless they crack down on employers of illegals and enforce the laws that are on the books now. Just securing ports and borders first might have worked a couple of years ago but with unemployment the way it is now, securing the borders isn't enough. Plus, I don't trust this administration. Sometimes don't you wish you could be president for a month and could use your executive powers? I would tell all of the illegals that they have 45 days to vacate our country. After that, they will be hunted down and deported. The borders and ports would be totally secured. All immigration will be stopped for at least 3 years until we could see where we were. There will be no outsourcing of American jobs, especially by the state and federal levels of government. We would bring manufacturing back to this country by giving them incentives and tax cuts. We WILL renegotiate all of our FREE trade deals. If you want special treatment for your race or religion or gender, it will not happen. There will be no black, hispanic or other caucuses. There will be no more lobbyists, and the list goes on..

Duplicate post. Please refer any further comments to:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-155656-cornyn.html