2:00 a.m. August 29, 2009
Letters to the Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Let's provide tools border agents need

Regarding the death of Campo Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas:

The United States border with Mexico is becoming more dangerous each year, as the death of Rosas along the Campo sector in July illustrates.
The people crossing illegally into the United States from Mexico are not always laborers looking for work, but a criminal element capable of committing murder.

The agents who work along the fence are our first line of defense in preventing either element from crossing into the United States. The amount of crossers varies monthly and there are statistics as to when and where the heavy traffic occurs.

Washington knows the overwhelming responsibility it has placed on the agents and that the system is not working. Legal immigration is a slow process that hungry people are not inclined to participate in. Need often drives the decision to cross illegally.

Those crossing looking for work and the criminal element are using the same coyotes, routes, safe houses and transport. It is still a crime no matter what the reason for crossing is.

Strong leadership and a lack of fear of alienating a voting bloc are necessary to creating a workable program that is fair to the people seeking work. The criminal element needs to be dealt with swiftly and our laws need to be upheld. A plan must exist to protect the agents in the field from execution; one life lost is too many.

Where is the leadership in this country? The Congress and the Senate debate over issues that never get solved. How do we prevent the same old business-as-usual attitude that currently exists in our elected leaders?

The agents in the field are asked to protect our borders; they need more tools and some real leadership to complete this task. Each month I write an article about the effectiveness of the Border Patrol checkpoints located in San Diego County. The Pine Valley checkpoint catches and arrests people who smuggle contraband and people almost daily. The San Diego Sector has seized more than 25,500 pounds of marijuana and 1,570 pounds of cocaine since Oct. 1, 2008.

TONY NEFF
Co-publisher
Backcountry Messenger Newspaper
Campo, CA.

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