Kyl: U.S. handles border better than Mex. does(op)

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php? ... 0405b4_kyl

For anyone feeling so inclined, Sen. Kyl deserves a big thank you for this opinion piece. His e-mail address is http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Kyl: U.S. handles border better than Mex. does
JON KYL
April 4, 2005

There has been a lot of publicity about the so-called Minutemen, private citizens organizing at the Mexican border to stand guard against illegal immigration. Less publicized, but more significant, are new efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to deal with the problem more comprehensively.

Phase II of the Arizona Border Control initiative, announced Wednesday, will significantly increase Border Patrol personnel, aerial support and the use of "smart border" technologies as well as strengthen partnerships with state, tribal and local law enforcement.

More than 530 additional Border Patrol agents will be permanently assigned to the Arizona border, an increase of nearly 25 percent, and processes further streamlined for deporting illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records.

The original ABC initiative, launched last year, was a large-scale multiagency initiative aimed at controlling the border, combating alien smuggling, and reducing the violent crime and need for social services associated with illegal immigration. It made Tucson the "most enforced sector in the country" and resulted in the apprehension of 384,954 individuals, a 42 percent increase over 2003.

Border deaths were dramatically reduced, and more than 14,000 illegal immigrants were repatriated into the interior of Mexico. Agents also seized thousands of tons of illegal narcotics, and prosecutors indicted 340 smugglers.

When complete, Phase II will raise bring operational manpower for the Tucson Sector to more than 2,300 permanent Border Patrol agents, as well as tighten controls at all Arizona ports of entry to thwart alien smuggling. The new aircraft will include 16 "A-Star" helicopters, four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft.

These new resources won't solve the problem overnight. But they represent real steps forward in dealing with a large and complex problem.

They stand in marked contrast to unhelpful remarks of late by Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has publicly scoffed at U.S. objections to illegal immigration and called efforts to enforce the border, such as the "triple fence" planned for San Diego, "discriminatory" and "against freedom."

The United States is a sovereign nation that has every right to protect its borders, as other countries do. It is obvious that deterrence measures like walls only "discriminate" against those who intend to break the law.

What make Fox's statements particularly galling are reports that Mexico consistently violates the rights of illegal immigrants crossing its own southern border from Central and South America. The State Department's February Human Rights Practices report cites abuses at all levels of the Mexican government, and charges police and immigration officials in Mexico not only abuse illegal immigrants, but actually participate in trafficking them.

If President Fox is serious about helping to reduce illegal immigration and its various related problems, he should look in his own back yard. Another good step would be to acknowledge the United States' right to defend its borders and demonstrate perhaps a little less disdain for the rule of law north of the border.

Sen. Jon Kyl serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees and chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

It is heartening that someone in the congress is speaking out. The sad part is that this has come to such a pass that one lone voice is all we hear. There should be a roar of outrage from that body.

RR