Thread: Security leader touts U.S. efforts at borders

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Security leader touts U.S. efforts at borders

Commissioner says Oregonians must adapt to changes

GABRIELA RICO
Statesman Journal

August 12, 2005

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Oregon farmers upset about a lack of migrant workers and travelers concerned about lengthy checks after foreign trips got a curt response from the nation's top border security officials Thursday: Get used to it.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner and U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar visited Washington and said that terrorist threats against the United States are real, they are ongoing and the agency will take aggressive measures to control international borders.

"They're intent on damaging our country and destroying our way of life," Bonner said. "The threat of al-Qaida has not gone away, and they have vowed to attack us again. But they've got to get past us."

In an exclusive interview with the Statesman Journal, Bonner, the leader of the 2-year-old Department of Homeland Security division, stressed that Oregon's concerns are placed in a national perspective by the federal government.

"I don't think in terms of individual states, per se, because the border is a national issue," he said. "It's quintessentially a federal issue."

The commissioner also said that he will not yield on matters of national security.

"Wherever you are in America ... there are important reasons that we ought to control our border. I say that understanding that there are certainly significant differences in opinion as to what we should and should not do in terms of the immigration policy in the United States," Bonner said in a soft yet firm tone. "People who want to debate that issue are not serious people."

Farmers and labor contractors in Oregon have expressed frustration about a shortage of seasonal workers this past year, saying that thousands of dollars are being lost each day because there are not enough people to harvest the crops.

Also, politicians and business leaders have complained that tighter scrutiny of foreign visitors at Portland International Airport could hurt trade and tourism and drive away visitors.

At the same time, many Oregonians have joined with groups across the country to demand that the federal government do more to keep illegal immigrants out of the country.

Bonner conceded that the nation's borders are not completely secured but said that resources for doing so are arriving.

The U.S. Border Patrol, with 11,000 agents, is at its largest point in history and, complemented by technology, Bonner is confident that people who want to enter the country without permission will think twice.

"I think people say, 'The border is totally out of control; we haven't done anything.' Well, that's not true," he said. "Are we where we need to be? No, but we are in better control of the border."

More authority and more resources allow the federal government to investigate more thoroughly people who arrive by land, air or sea from other countries.

"It isn't as difficult to control who gets into the United States," he said of visitors. "We have enormous authority to intercept and prevent potential people who could harm the United States and the American citizens."

The Mexican border remains a top priority, Bonner said.

"If you've got the flood, your chances of apprehending potential terrorist operatives are no better than your chances of apprehending anybody else," he said. "We're starting to see signs, maybe for the first time in recent years, of getting a better grip on the Arizona border."

More than 1 million people have been caught illegally entering the United States this year.

Bonner noted that members of Congress have said that they might consider funding an additional 1,500 Border Patrol agents next year.

"We're certainly not there yet; we're not where we need to be," he said, "but we're starting to make some progress."

Oregon farmers upset about a lack of migrant workers and travelers concerned about lengthy checks after foreign trips got a curt response from the nation's top border security officials Thursday: Get used to it.

YES!!!

Farmers and labor contractors in Oregon have expressed frustration about a shortage of seasonal workers this past year, saying that thousands of dollars are being lost each day because there are not enough people to harvest the crops.

Do they have zero unemployement there??

Farmers and labor contractors in Oregon have expressed frustration about a shortage of seasonal workers this past year, saying that thousands of dollars are being lost each day because there are not enough people to harvest the crops

Oh maybe it is because, now they have giving up on farm work and now taking the better paying construction jobs, so that the wages in Construction will drop like a rock. Where are the Unions, Why are they allowing this. There not going to get more memberships. There just going to get lower wages for everyone.

It's sad but you are probably right on that Scub.