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Ten Reasons for Border Security
Bruce Mandelblit
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006
Just days ago, the president signed into law a homeland security bill that includes authorization for about 700 miles of a high-tech border fence between the United States and Mexico. Although this bill provides funding for just 350 miles of that essential fence, this is at least a first step in trying to secure our country's highly porous borders.

Our southern and northern borders, as well as our ports of entry, need to be immediately secured. A secure border is not a political issue; it is a clear-cut homeland security imperative.

To bring home this point of the vital importance of suitable border security, as well as aggressive interior enforcement, here are 10 recent events, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that graphically illustrate this imperative need.

1. ICE officers from three states fanned out across the greater Las Vegas area arresting a total of 179 immigration violators, many of whom have outstanding orders of deportation. Several of those taken into custody during this operation have criminal records, including past convictions for drug violations, assault, and weapons charges.

2. In a pre-dawn operation, dozens of officers from ICE Fugitive Operations Teams arrested 32 fugitives hiding in the Edison, New Jersey, area. All of the individuals arrested are illegal aliens from Indonesia who have been ordered deported by U.S. immigration judges and have defied that order.

3. Officials from ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Aurora (Illinois) Police Department arrested 14 gang members in a joint operation targeting foreign-born violent street gangs. All those arrested are illegal aliens from Mexico, who face deportation.

4. ICE special agents here and in Mexico, working closely with Mexican authorities, stopped the sale and smuggling of a 4-week-old baby boy across the border from Mexico into the United States.


5. Agents with ICE arrested 29 foreign nationals employed at a San Diego, California-area drywall business that also provides contract construction workers to perform services at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.

6. Three men were arrested by ICE special agents following the discovery of their illegal presence in the country by military personnel working at the Tyndall Air Force Base's main gate.

7. A cooperative effort between U.S. and Brazilian authorities has resulted in the arrest of an international fugitive near Boston who has been convicted of two murders in Brazil, including the killing of an Amazon labor leader, and is charged with a third murder.

8. Fifty-two child predators were arrested in the five boroughs by ICE agents and officers of the New York City Department of Probation.

All of the individuals arrested have been previously convicted of sex offenses including rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, attempted sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal sex act, sexual conduct against a child and sexual misconduct. The youngest of the victims was 2 years old; the oldest was 16.


9. Fugitives and immigration violators were among 183 arrested by ICE detention and removal officers and special agents during a weeklong Florida statewide operation. Among the arrested were 130 fugitive criminal aliens who were ordered removed by a federal immigration judge but failed to comply with their lawful orders. Some of the fugitives have been in hiding, evading law enforcement, for years.

10. An Egyptian man pleaded guilty to smuggling nearly 100 individuals from Middle Eastern countries into the United States. According to ICE, this man admitted to leading a human smuggling ring that brought 100 or more persons into the United States from April 2001 through January 2002.

For more information on these incidents, log on to www.ice.gov.

You can help ICE agents do their vital duties. ICE encourages the reporting of suspected suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (investigators staff this toll-free hotline 24/7).

My Final Thoughts: These ten examples are just a few instances of the numerous enforcement actions taken by ICE and other law enforcement agencies during April and May 2006.

While politicians debate and special interest groups argue over any potential immigration reform legislation, one thing is clear: We need to immediately secure all our borders and ports, as well as to conduct strong interior criminal alien capture operations.

Our wide-open borders are an invitation to violent criminals, illegal drug dealers, brutal gangs and even possible terrorists to easily enter our country.

ICE estimates that there are about 597,000 – yes, an amazing 597,000 – fugitive aliens currently living in the United States. These fugitives aliens are foreign nationals who have been ordered removed by a federal immigration judge, but failed to comply with those orders and depart from the country.

ICE, the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies must be given the manpower and other important resources to effectively do their vital jobs. This must be a top and immediate priority.

Our immigration enforcement cannot begin and end at our borders and ports of entry. Effective immigration policing must also include robust interior law enforcement efforts to help ensure the safety and security of all Americans.


(Note: If you manufacture or distribute any Security, Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Defense or Crime Prevention related products, please send information on your product line for possible future reference in this column to: CrimePrevention123@yahoo.com.)

Copyright 2006 by Bruce Mandelblit


* * * * * *
"Staying Safe" with Bruce Mandelblit is a regular column for the readers of NewsMax.com and NewsMax.com Magazine.

Bruce welcomes your thoughts. His e-mail address is: CrimePrevention123@yahoo.com.

Bruce is a nationally known security journalist, as well as a recently retired, highly decorated reserve Law Enforcement Officer.

Bruce writes Staying Safe, a weekly syndicated column covering the topics of security, safety and crime prevention.

Bruce was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel – the state's highest honor – for his public service.

This column is provided for general information purposes only. Please check with your local law enforcement agency and legal professional for information specific to you and your jurisdiction.


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