U.S. Cites Jump in Security Efforts on Border
MAY 18, 2010, 10:30 P.M. ET.
U.S. Cites Jump in Security Efforts on Border
More Agents Have Seized More Drugs and Weapons, Officials Say; Critics Charge Measures on Illegal Entry Still Fall Short.
By EVAN PEREZ
U.S. law-enforcement agents said they were seizing more drugs, weapons and cash along the Mexican border, and expelling more illegal immigrants, as the Obama administration seeks to highlight security cooperation with Mexico ahead of a visit by its president.
But critics say border security remains inadequate, and the administration is on the defensive over controversial Arizona laws cracking down on illegal immigration.
U.S. officials said a surge in manpower and funding for border operations at the Justice and Homeland Security departments was making a difference in their campaign against violent cartels that traffic in drugs, weapons and people along the border.
Homeland Security officials said they had deployed some 20,000 border patrol agents, including 4,000 in Arizona, up from 10,000 in 2004. They said they were in the process of adding intelligence analysts and electronic screening units in border states to identify weapons, drug and cash shipments.
The Justice Department, meanwhile, said it was adding 46 prosecutors this year to handle an expected increase in cartel-related cases, as well as 80 investigators to focus on gun trafficking on the U.S. side of the border. And the Federal Bureau of Investigation is creating teams of investigators to probe U.S. officials on the border who aid drug trafficking.
"All of that is a part of more resources pouring in with some targeted efforts, which hopefully will result in arrests," said Gary Grindler, acting deputy attorney general. "We're trying to put the resources where we think it will do the most good."
The agencies cite thousands of drug-trafficking arrests in recent months, including more than 1,100 in one operation last fall targeting Mexico's La Familia cartel. The U.S. has deported more than 82,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records so far this year, up 37% from the same period a year ago, Homeland Security officials say.
Much of the administration's efforts have been focused on training Mexican law-enforcement and security forces battling the drug cartels. But that effort is complicated. In a report Tuesday on the training programs, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said "little progress" had been made on organizing 2,022 state and local police forces in Mexico.
As Mexican President Felipe Calderón arrives Wednesday for a state visit to discuss broader cooperation with the U.S. on border security and other issues, the administration remains on the defensive over whether its measures have been sufficient.
Arizona recently approved tough new immigration laws that local lawmakers said were a response to insufficient action by the federal government to curb illegal immigration. Local officials said the cartels that brought in illegal immigrants also brought in drugs and were responsible for increased violence in the state.
Despite talk of increased enforcement, "it has not gotten better, has not gotten safer, and has gotten more dangerous," said U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R., Ariz.).
Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said his agency had "dedicated unprecedented manpower, technology and infrastructure resources to the southwest border over the course of the past 14 months. The Border Patrol is better staffed today than at any time in its 85-year history."
He added that the administration would continue to work with Congress to overhaul the country's immigration system.
Immigration legislation currently before Congress would make strengthening U.S. border security a main focus. A proposal by Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) would set up benchmarks that U.S. security agencies must meet, such as increasing border patrols and improving technology, before any immigrants in the U.S. illegally could win legal status.
The legislation would also require all potential hires to show an identification card with a biometric chip, aimed at ensuring that employers only hire workers who are legally in the U.S.
With congressional elections in November, however, President Barack Obama has all but given up pushing this year for a possibly controversial immigration overhaul.
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