Immigration reform needed
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
El Paso Times
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6624929
Article Launched:08/15/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday in El Paso that he was disappointed by the defeat earlier this year of the immigration reform bill and that his department would do its best with existing programs until the matter can be revisited.
"Clearly, I am disappointed," Chertoff said of the failure of the bill, which included a guest-worker program and a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

"The bill would have allowed us to face some economic realities," he said. "As we stand, we are faced with a system where our customs and immigration officers are saddled with the need to pursue people who are coming here to work, which distracts them somewhat from pursuing those who are coming to do harm."

Homeland Security employees have been working to improve the efficiency of various existing programs, Chertoff said.

For instance, the number of Border Patrol agents has increased to 14,000 this year from 9,000 in 2000, and the government is gearing up to build 370 miles of border fencing by the end of 2008, he said.

Chertoff spoke at the fourth Border Security Conference, organized by U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas. It took place Monday and Tuesday at the University of Texas at El paso. More than 400 participants heard from government officials, contractors and academics on technology, diversity in intelligence gathering, collaboration with Mexico and drug trafficking.

In the luncheon address that wrapped up the event Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said he was emphasizing a "culture of collaboration."

McConnell, who is in charge of all 16 of the nation's intelligence agencies, said information must be shared among those agencies to provide a more complete picture of the threats facing the country.

"It's a classified world," McConnell said, of the intelligence community. "It's a world that hides behind a cover, so we have to know one another."

Many officials, especially those assigned to fight drug trafficking, lauded the new Mexican president for cooperating with U.S. law enforcement efforts.

Anthony Placido, assistant administrator and chief intelligence officer for the Drug Enforcement Administration, called it a "success story."

"We have an unprecedented opportunity with (Mexico President Felipe) Calderón," Placido said.

Last year, Calderón began sending the Mexican military to fight drug cartels, leading to what Placido said was a "drastic reduction" in the availability of drugs and a decrease in the drugs' purity.

Placido also said Mexican officials assured him they were committed to attacking all the cartels so that no one organization emerges stronger.

Placido skirted a question at the conference Tuesday about Plan Mexico -- a U.S. aid package similar to Plan Colombia -- that is being negotiated with Mexico and has not been officially announced.

Pilar Perez de la Fuente, assistant attorney general for the state of Chihuahua, said, "The government of Chihuahua recognizes that combating the drug cartels and corruption is the most important mission and that the government of the United States is our best ally."

Placido said Mexico's help would reduce the pressure on the "dam" that is the border.

Chertoff also spoke about relieving the pressure by using a multi-pronged strategy including not only more Border Patrol agents and fences, but also technology and inter-agency and binational cooperation.

"There is no magic bullet but a series of measures," he said. "A one-size-fits-all approach is bound to fail; so is piling up things at the border. We need to analyze what it is that makes people cross the border. We need to partner up."

"We don't want to destroy the border," he said.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.
El Paso Times reporter Chris Roberts contributed to this story.

Conference quotes

Comments by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at Tuesday's border security meeting:

On the recent Border Patrol shooting in El"Paso: "I do believe we have to give the benefit of the doubt to the agent acting in good faith."

On immigration enforcement: "It gives me no joy to read stories about how we rounded up and deported people who are working hard to feed their families."

On border fences: "Fencing won't keep people out, just slow them down while the Border Patrol gets there."

On border enforcement: "We have to enforce the law; not doing so only breeds cynicism in the American people. In the end, it's very hard to secure the border with only brute force."It can be done, but it's going to be a labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive way to do it."
Comments by Victor Manjarrez, Border Patrol chief in El"Paso:

On civil rights: "When you talk about civil rights, that the law. It's our duty to enforce them."
Comments by Anthony Placido, assistant administrator and chief intelligence officer for the Drug Enforcement Administration:

On drug trafficking and terrorism: Drug cartels "create an environment in which it's easier for terrorists to operate. They use the same shadow facilitators -- forgers, money launderers."

On legalizing drugs: "My experience is that when we decriminalize the abuse, we increase the number of abusers."



Border review

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff gave a summary of his department's multi-pronged border security strategy.

More boots. The number of Border Patrol agents was 9,000 in 2000 and 14,000 as of July 2007. It is on track to grow to 18,300 by the end of 2008 and 20,000 by the end of 2009.

Urban fencing. The government is to build 370 miles of border fencing by the end of 2008 in urban areas.

Technology. More unmaned aerial vehicles, cameras, observation towers, sensors.

Cooperation. Task forces with local agencies.

Ending catch-and-release. The practice of releasing immigrants not from Mexico into the streets pending their court date was stopped, thanks to the creation of more detention beds and expedited removal proceedings.

Fingerprints. Officials will soon be able to record and check all 10 fingerprints (not just two prints) of immigrants, making it easier to identify latent prints.

Exit US-VISIT checks. Visitors and immigrants leaving the United States will be entered into a database to make sure that they don't overstay their visas starting next year at airports and, "in a limited way," at land borders.

Mexico drug report

Methamphetamine: Increasing transportation from"Mexico.

Cocaine: Southwest border is the primary entry point for cocaine into the United States.

Marijuana: Mexican growers spending time increasing the potency of their marijuana.

Heroin: New type of heroin from the southwest border mixed with Tylenol PM and called "cheese" is popular and deadly.
Mexican drug-trafficking organizations:

Have taken over drug distribution from the Colombians.

Have taken over from African-American street gangs.

Are technologically advanced.

Use paramilitary organizations and street gangs such as MS-13 as enforcers.

Are diversifying into kidnapping, extortion, theft and, in some cases, migrant smuggling.

Recent Mexican enforcement successes:

Extradition to the United States of Osiel Cardenas, kingpin of the Gulf Cartel, and other high-ranking drug lords.

Mexican military operations against Mexican cartels.

Seizure of money from Zhenli Ye Gon, a Mexican businessman accused of trafficking pseudoephedrine, and arrest of top drug traffickers.

Source: National Drug Intelligence Center.