Thread: Obama Considers Securing MEXICO'S Southern Border!

Obama Administration Considers Plan to Bolster Mexico’s Southern Border

Three-layer security line 140 miles from southern border aimed to fight drug, human trafficking


BY: Bill Gertz
August 22, 2013 5:00 am
Obama administration and Mexican government officials recently discussed creating a three-tier security system designed to protect Mexico’s southern border from drug and human traffickers, according to U.S. officials.
The border control plan calls for U.S. funding and technical support of three security lines extending more than 100 miles north of Mexico’s border with Guatemala and Belize. The border security system would use sensors and intelligence-gathering to counter human trafficking and drug running from the region, a major source of illegal immigration into the United States.
According to the officials who discussed the U.S.-Mexican talks on condition of anonymity, the Mexican government proposed setting up three security cordons using electronic sensors and other security measures along the southern Mexican border, along a line some 20 miles from the southern border, and along a third security line about 140 miles from the southern Mexican territorial line.
The plan would be funded in part through the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-led anti-drug trafficking program that has involved nearly $2 billion in U.S. funds.
Border security was a major topic during the visit to Mexico last month by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Alan Bersin.
Napolitano made no mention of the southern border protection plan after her visit.
“The United States and Mexico have taken unprecedented steps in recent years to deepen our cooperation along our shared border,” she said in a July 23 statement.
During the visit, Napolitano signed an agreement on border security communications aimed at improving responses to border violence. In April, another agreement was signed to improve U.S. Border Patrol and Mexican Federal Police law enforcement coordination along the U.S.-Mexican border.
A DHS spokesman would not say if southern Mexico border security was discussed during the recent Napolitano visit. He referred questions about the three-tier border security system to the White House.
A White House spokeswoman had no comment and referred questions to DHS and the State Department. A State Department spokeswoman declined to comment.
Mexican Embassy spokesman Ariel Moutsatsos declined to comment.
The plan apparently is being kept secret within the administration over concerns that disclosure would fuel Republican critics of the administration’s record on border security.
Asked to comment on the southern Mexico border security plan, Rep. Ted Poe (R., Texas), a senior member of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on immigration, said he opposes the effort.
“We need to take care of the United States first when it comes to border security,” he told the Free Beacon. “The United States seems to be very concerned about protecting the border of other nations and needs to be more concerned about protecting our own border.”
Poe also said that at a time of fiscal austerity, “We should be spending funds on border security and national security in the United States.”
“Mexico has a problem, obviously, but it is their responsibility to protect the sovereignty of their borders and it is our responsibility to protect the sovereignty of our border,” he said.
Recent congressional assessments have contradicted White House claims that during the Obama administration U.S.-Mexico border security improved.
The Government Accountability Office stated in a June 23 report that Customs and Border Protection and DHS claims of progress in stemming illegal border crossings are difficult to confirm. The agency challenged the accuracy of the government reporting process for the number of apprehensions of illegal immigrants, a figure that the White House said has shown a decline in illegal border crossings.
“Opportunities exist to improve DHS’s management of border security assets,” the report said, adding that DHS had problems deploying electronic surveillance technology on the Southwest border.
A separate Congressional Research Service report published in May said data on illegal immigration was not designed “to measure illegal border flows or the degree to which the border is secured.”
The White House web site states that U.S. border security is “stronger than it has ever been” but “there is more work to do.” Recent efforts have included increasing the number of border patrol agents and using drones for border surveillance.
The Mexican online news outlet La Journada reported July 29 that references to discussions on Mexico’s southern border during the Napolitano visit were initially included in an official Mexican government press release, but were later removed for unexplained reasons.
The final statement said “the Government Secretary, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, today led a meeting to talk about strengthening border security of our country, in order to achieve an orderly migration flow and respect for human rights.”
The newspaper speculated that omitting the word may have been designed to hide U.S. and Mexican plans for joint action on the southern border.
A U.S. official who is critical of the proposed U.S. support for Mexico’s southern border security program said the U.S.-Mexican talks on the southern border were reported inside the U.S. government recently and show “hypocrisy and disdain for American security.”
“The administration appears more concerned about the security of Mexico’s southern border than defending our southern border,” the official said.
The White House apparently favors allowing more illegal immigrants into the United States, the official added.
Last month, a 20-page White House report on immigration and American agriculture concluded that farmers would face labor shortages if immigration laws were enforced.
“Without providing a path to earned citizenship for unauthorized farmworkers and a new temporary program that agriculture employers would use, a significant portion of this farm workforce will remain unauthorized, thereby susceptible to immigration enforcement actions that could tighten the supply of farm labor,” said the report, which was reported on by the Washington Times July 29.
Mexico’s government outlined plans under the Merida Initiative earlier this month and provided them to the United States, according to Mexican news reporters.
The El Universal newspaper reported Aug. 7 that 15 projects were on the list and included a focus on improving intelligence gathering by federal security forces.
No specifics of the proposed Merida projects were disclosed.
The Merida Initiative, also called Plan Mexico, is a security cooperation pact between the United States and Mexico aimed at countering drug trafficking, organized crime, money laundering and securing the border. Since its launch in 2008, Congress has appropriated $1.9 billion.
The administration asked Congress to provide $234 million for the program in fiscal 2013 and for this fiscal year is seeking $183 million, mainly for training, equipment and intelligence support.
“Congress may wish to examine how well the Mexican government’s security strategy supports U.S. interests in Mexico,” a Congressional Research Service report published in June stated.
Congress sought to pass major immigration reform legislation earlier this summer. A Senate bill was passed in June but the legislation is facing opposition in the House.
The bill would seek to improve border security, a key Republican demand, as well as offer citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.
House Republican leaders said in a joint statement in July that the American people want the border secured, immigration laws enforced and problems with the immigration system fixed.
“But they don’t trust a Democratic-controlled Washington,” the Republican leadership statement said.
The House has introduced five immigration bills, including legislation drafted by Reps. Michael McCaul (R., Texas) and Poe that seeks to secure borders and reform the immigration system.
McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a critic of the administration’s border security policies, could not be reach for comment.
However, Poe and McCaul on Friday criticized the administration’s border security efforts in an op-ed that appeared in the Houston Chronicle.
“Americans know better than the Obama administration; they have heard the claims that the border is secure, but they know we’re not anywhere near that goal,” they said.
The two lawmakers are backing proposed immigration reform bills. The McCaul bill would require the Homeland Security Department to develop a comprehensive national strategy for controlling U.S. borders. The Poe legislation calls for using National Guard troops to regain control of the border.
“In place of a national plan, we have patched up individual holes—causing illegal immigration to shift to less fortified sectors instead of stopping it altogether,” they stated, noting that Congress’ General Accountability Office estimates the U.S. government has operational control of 44 percent of borders.
“We must stop plugging holes, and instead secure the entire border in a fiscally responsible way,” they stated. “Our border insecurity is decades in the making, and time has shown that without a national strategy, we will never see lasting progress. It’s time for real results we can measure; it’s time for accountability for the administration; it’s time to do this the smart way.”
This entry was posted in National Security, Obama Administration and tagged Janet Napolitano, Mexico, Obama administration, U.S.-Mexico border. Bookmark the permalink

http://freebeacon.com/obama-administ...uthern-border/

Katie Pavlich | Aug 22, 2013
townhall.com



Hey taxpayers, how do you feel about sending money to Mexico in order to secure the border? The southern border of Mexico that is, not the southern border of the United States with Mexico. More from the Free Beacon:

Obama administration and Mexican government officials recently discussed creating a three-tier security system designed to protect Mexico’s southern border from drug and human traffickers, according to U.S. officials.

The border control plan calls for U.S. funding and technical support of three security lines extending more than 100 miles north of Mexico’s border with Guatemala and Belize. The border security system would use sensors and intelligence-gathering to counter human trafficking and drug running from the region, a major source of illegal immigration into the United States.

According to the officials who discussed the U.S.-Mexican talks on condition of anonymity, the Mexican government proposed setting up three security cordons using electronic sensors and other security measures along the southern Mexican border, along a line some 20 miles from the southern border, and along a third security line about 140 miles from the southern Mexican territorial line.

The plan would be funded in part through the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-led anti-drug trafficking program that has involved nearly $2 billion in U.S. funds.

Meanwhile, illegal foot traffic from Mexico into the United States has doubled since January, when talks of amnesty of Capitol Hill started to heat up. Border Patrol agents and Sheriff departments along the southern border with Mexico are continually battling dangerous drug cartels armed with AK-47 style weapons.

"We've seen the number of illegal aliens double, maybe even triple since amnesty talk started happening," an agent told Townhall, who asked to remain unnamed due to fears of retaliation within Customs and Border Protection [CBP], something he said is common. "A lot of these people, although not the majority, are criminals or aggravated felons. This is a direct danger to our communities."



There's also this:



While the United States' southern border remains wide open, Mexico's southern border is already heavily secured with a full fence, armed guards, barbed wire and lookout towers. Not to mention, Mexico treats illegal immigrants far worse than we do.

American politicians in both parties are stampeding all over themselves to pander to Mexico and adopt mass illegal alien amnesty schemes. But while the Mexican government lobbies for more “humane” treatment of illegal border crossers from their country into ours, Mexico remains notoriously restrictionist toward “undesirable” foreigners who break their laws or threaten their security.

Despite widely touted immigration “reforms” adopted in 2011, Mexico still puts Mexico first — as any country that is serious about protecting its sovereignty should and would.

It's time for the United States to focus on it's own southern border, not the southern border of Mexico 2100 miles away.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepa...order-n1670809

Added second article above to the Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/content.php?r=2...outhern-Border

In accordance with the NAU plan.

I say we play by Mexico's own rules ..

Mexico's Tough LawsThat the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) member nations standardize their immigration laws by using Mexico's own law as a model.

What say you, Obama?


Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society:

Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress." (Article 32)

Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents. (Article 34)

Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national demographics," when foreigners are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," when they do not behave like good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy." (Article 37)

The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest." (Article 3

Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country:

Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)

A National Population Registry keeps track of "every single individual who comprises the population of the country," and verifies each individual's identity. (Articles 85 and 86)

A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).

Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be imprisoned:

Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. (Article 116)

Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different from that which he normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116)

Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:

Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)

Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 11

Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico -- such as working with out a permit -- can also be imprisoned.

Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says:

"A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." (Article 123)

Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)

Foreigners who "attempt against national sovereignty or security" will be deported. (Article 126)

Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law:

A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)

Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

Read more: Mexico's Tough Laws (visa, NAFTA, illegal immigrants, prison) - City-Data Forum